I 


i«en  neated  in  the  porch  <>f  hi* 

i|?ht  as  h«-  i  e    talc    of    his 

iHtering  about  his  knees,  drink 


•--T,  -[:.:M:TABJ.E.  CHANGING  wts"r 


HENRY   HOWE. 


THIRTY-FIFTH    THOUSAND. 


HISTORICAL  COLLECTIONS 


OF     Til 


GREAT   WEST: 


CONTAINING 


NAERATIVES  OF  THE  MOST  IMPORTANT  AND  INTERESTING 
EVENTS  IN  WESTERN   HISTORY-REMARKABLE   INDI- 
VIDUAL   ADVENTURES- SKETCHES   OF   FRONTIER 
LIFE-DESCRIPTIONS  OF  NATURAL  CURIOSITIES: 


TO     WIIICII     IS     APPENDED 


HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE  SKETCHES  OF  OREGON,  NEW  MEXICO, 
TEXAS,  MINNESOTA,  UTAH  AND  CALIFORNIA. 


15  Y    HENRY    JIOWK,    \Sh- 

AUTHOR   OF   HISTORICAL    COLLECTIONS  OF    VIRGINIA;    HISTORICAL  COLLECTIONS  OF   OHIO- 


1  L  L  I'  £  T  K  A  T  K  1)      W  I  T  II       N  U  M  E  U  0  U  S      E  N  G  It  A  V  I  N  U  s» 


VOL.    I. 


CINCINNATI. 

PUBLISHED  BY   HENRY  HOWE,  AT  E.  MORGAN  &  CO.'h 

NO.     Ill     MAIN     STREET. 

1854. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1851, 

BY    HENRY   HOWE, 

f.»  tha  Clerk'*  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
District  of  Ohio. 


aoii 


PREFACE. 


WRITTEN  history  is  generally  too  scholastic  to  interest  the  mass. 
Dignified  and  formal,  it  deals  mainly  in  great  events,  and  of  those  im- 
perfectly, because  not  pausing  to  present  clear  impressions  by  the  asso- 
ciations of  individual  life.  It  is  these  that  lend  to  written  fiction  its 
greatest  charm,  and  attract  the  multitude  by  appearing  more  like  truth. 
Although  untrue  in  the  particular  combinations,  scenes  and  plots  de- 
lineated, yet  well  written  Fiction  is  drawn  from  Nature,  from  expe- 
rience, and  these  facts  in  life,  as  with  chessmen,  are  only  arranged  in 
new,  but  natural  positions. 

History  includes  everything  in  Nature,  Character,  Customs  and  Inci- 
dents, both  general  and  individual,  that  contributes  to  originate  what 
is  peculiar  in  a  People,  or  what  causes  either  their  advancement  or  de- 
cline. So  broad  its  scope,  that  nothing  is  too  mighty  for  its  grasp — • 
so  searching,  scarce  any  thing  too  minute.  Were  written  history  a 
clear  transcript  of  the  valuable  in  history,  it  would  be  more  enticing 
than  the  most  fascinating  fiction.  But  as  History  is  written  more  like 
Fiction,  and  Fiction  more  like  History,  the  latter  has  an  hundred  fold 
its  readers. 

Herein  are  narrated  not  only  the  great  events  in  the  History  of  the 
West,  but  the  smaller  matters  of  individual  experience,  as  important 
to  its  illustration.  Interspersed  are  descriptions  of  some  of  those 
more  striking  objects  of  Nature,  that  elicit  wonder,  or  gratify  the  love 
of  the  grand  or  the  beautiful.  Additional,  are  prominent  facts  in  rela- 
tion to  a  distant  Land  which  is  lashed  by  the  surf  of  a  far  western  Ocean 
— a  young  Empire,  rising  in  golden  splendor  under  the  rays  of  a  far 
western  Sun. 

For  this  work  no  originality  can  be  claimed.  Like  all  compilations, 
it  is  the  production,  not  of  one  mind,  but  of  a  multitude — the  offspring, 
not  of  one  father,  but  of  many.  Hence,  a  superiority  over  an  origi- 
nal work.  The  production  of  a  single  mind,  however  masterly,  is  per- 
vaded by  one  style,  and  occasionally  sinks  into  common  place.  But  a 
skillful  compilation  gives  a  variety,  and  selecting  only  the  best  things, 
places  them  where  they  will  best  appear  in  comparison  or  combination. 
The  fashion  has  been  to  prefer  original  works,  and  so  it  will  continue 
until  the  public  forget  to  regard  the  fields  of  literature  as  one  grand 
Coliseum,  and  the  actors  thereon  as  merely  mental  Gladiators. 

7 


g  PREFACE. 

Compilers  are  but  an  humble  class — mere  Camp  followers  of  the 
great  army  of  Authors  who  combat  alone  for  Fame.  When  they  are 
credited  with  selecting  judiciously,  abridging  carefully,  and  combining 
adroitly,  their  Lilliputian  cups  are  to  the  brim.  Above  this  plane  of 
a  lower  level  they  have  no  wings  to  soar.  But  on  this  is  a  broad  field 
for  utility.  Such  has  been  our  object;  and  if  we  beguile  the  hours  and 
brighten  the  memory  of  other  days  in  the  mind  of  the  aged  Pioneer — 
if  we  amuse  and  instruct  the  young  Farmer,  at  his  evening's  fireside, 
after  a  hard  day's  toil — then  our  measure  is  filled. 


A  few  solitary  white  sails,  far  out  on  the  blue  water,  are  seen  with 
mysterious  awe  by  the  Indian  from  the  Atlantic  shore,  appearing  like 
huge  monsters  from  a  spirit  world. 

They  move  toward  the  land ! 

From  out  their  sides  pour  forth  a  new,  unheard-of  race,  with  faces 
pale,  speech  unknown,  and  garments  of  singular  texture  and  brilliant 
in  colors. 

The  ring  of  the  ax  for  the  first  time  echoes  through  the  wood. 
The  habitations  of  the  new  race  rise  from  the  green  earth.  On  the 
*  ut-oan  border,  hundreds  of  leagues  apart,  they  cluster  in  detached  col- 
lections; but  far  inland  do  not  yet  penetrate.  There,  the  red  man 
roams  through  the  vast  solitudes,  unconscious  of  the  dark  cloud  rising 
in  the  East  to  overwhelm  and  sweep  him  from  the  land. 

A  stranger  being  suddenly  appears  before  him.  A  long  robe  envel- 
^pes  his  form.  Pale  and  sad  is  his  countenance,  and  in  his  hand  he 
^Jevates  an  unknown  symbol.  It  is  the  Missionary  of  the  Cross !  Alone, 
in  peril,  in  suffering,  he  has  penetrated  through  the  wilderness  to  teach 
liim  the  mystery  of  redemption,  of  a  more  than  human  love.  He  re- 
main-, perchance,  to  die  by  the  hand  of  him  he  came  to  save;  but  amid 
horrible  torture,  with  the  flame  winding  around  him  as  a  coffin  sheet, 
he  blesses  his  lot  and  yields  up  life  with  joy. 

The  settlements  of  the  pale  faces  rapidly  advance.  They  reach  the 
an-ward  slope  of  the  mountains.  They  pass  over  their  summits. 
The  smokes  of  their  cabins  curl  up  in  the  western  valleys.  The  red 
man  vanishes  before  them.  Civilization  is  his  conqueror,  and  now  the 
footsteps  of  millions  of  the  new  race  press  his  grave  and  press  the 
graves  of  his  fathers. 

To  contemplate  these  mighty  events — more  wondrous  than  Ro- 
man, ... — is  instructive  to  Virtue! — to  act  well  in  the  Present,  its  aim! 
— to  anticipate  more  glorious  changes  in  the  Future,  its  brightest 
Bfopel 


CONTENTS,  VOL,  I. 


PAGI 

1.  Historical  Sketch  of  the  West, 13 

2.  Discovery  of  the  Mississippi, 31 

3.  Scenery  of  Lake  Superior, 34 

4.  Explorations  of  Marquette  and  La  Salle, 37 

5.  Sufferings  of  the  Early  French  Missionaries  of  the  West, 42 

6.  Curiosities  at  Michilimackinac, 46 

7.  Life  among  the  Frame  Dogs, 49 

8.  The  Mississippi  Bubble, , 63 

9.  The  French  and  Indian  War  in  the  West, 58 

10.  The  Cherokee  War  of  1760, 64 

11.  The  Pontiac  War, 68 

12.  The  Cypress  Swamps  of  the  Mississippi, 17 

1 3.  Tyranny  of  O'Reilly,  the  first  Spanish  Governor  of  Louisiana, 78 

14.  Dunmore's  War, 81 

15.  Customs  and  Manners  of  the  Early  French  Settlers  of  the  West, 85 

16.  The  Western  Wilderness, 92 

17.  Incidents  in  the  West  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution,.. 95 

18.  The  Natural  Tunnel, 12& 

19.  The  Hard  Winter  of  1780, 124 

20.  Daniel  Boone,  the  Pioneer  of  Kentucky, 125 

21.  Hunting  among  the  Early  Pioneers, 129' 

22.  Adventures  of  Kenton, 131 

23.  Incidents  of  the  Fur  Trade, 138 

24.  Lewis  Whetzel,  the  Indian  Hunter, 144 

25.  Marshall's  Pillar, 149 

26.  Heroism  of  the  Pioneer  Women, 150- 

27.  The  Indian  Summer, 15T 

28.  A  Desperate  Boat  Fight, ; 158 

29.  Rebellion  in  Tennessee, 162- 

30.  Border  Warfare  from  1783  to  1795, 164 

31.  French  and  Spanish  Intrigues  in  the  West, I*77' 

32.  The  Whisky  Insurrection, I79 

33.  Frontier  Desperadoes, 180' 

34.  Purchase  of  Louisiana, V, . . .  185 

35.  Interesting  Narrative, 188 

36.  Strange  Mental  and  Physical  Phenomena, 189 

9 


„  CONTENTS. 

i0 

VOLUME  II. 

PAQF 

1.  Life  among  the  Early  Settlers  of  the  West, 195 

2.  Origin  of  Camp  Meetings, 216 

3.  Lewis  and  Clarke's,  and  Pike's  Exploring  Expeditions, 218 

4.  Adventure  of  Colter, 223 

6.  Conspiracy  of  Aaron  Burr, *  •  •  225 

6.  The  Great  Prairie  Wilderness, 231 

7.  The  Great  Earthquake  of  1811, 235 

8.  Voyage  of  the  First  Western  Steamboat, 240 

9.  Sketch  of  Tecumseh  and  the  Indian  War  of  1811, 242 

10.  Kentucky  Sports, 247 

11.  The  Western  Boatmen, 249 

12.  Indian  Warfare, 255 

13.  Incidents  of  the  War  of  1812  in  the  West, 257 

14.  Visit  to  the  Mammoth  Cave, 269 

15.  Adventures  of  Oliver, 274 

16.  Incidents  of  Emigration, 281 

17.  The  Public  Domain, ~ 283 

18.  The  Ranger's  Adventure, 286 

19.  Wild  Bill,  or  the  Mississippi  Orson, 288 

20.  The  Fanatical  Pilgrims, 290 

21.  The  Missouri  Compromise, 292 

22.  Adventure  of  Audubon, 293 

23.  Exploring  Expeditions  of  Long,  Cass  and  Schoolcraft, 296 

24.  La fe  among  the  Trappers, 297 

25.  Ogilvie's  Adventure, 300 

26.  Character  of  the  Western  People, 301 

27.  Fascinating  Life  of  the  Mountain  Hunter, 305 

28.  Adventure  of  a  Trapper, 306 

29.  The  Commerce  of  the  Prairies, 308 

30.  The  Black  Hawk  War, 312 

31.  The  Postilence,  a  Frontier  Sketch, 317 

32.  The  Educated  Indian  Trapper, 318 

33.  Life  in  the  Mountains  of  Virginia, 320 

34.  Fremont's  Expeditions, ". 325 

35.  Skotch  of  Mormonism 336 

3G.  The  Hunter's  Escape, 342 

37.  The  Indians  of  the  Great  Prairie  Wilderness, 344 

38.  Effect  of  Settlement  on  the  Climate  of  the  West, 347 

39.  Historical  and  Descriptive  Sketch  of  Texas, 353 

40.  "  «  «  New  Mexico, 363 

41.  "  «  «  Oregon, 376 

42.  "  «  «  California, 391 

43.  Terrible  Sufferings  of  a  Party  of  California  Emigrants, 413 

44.  Historical  and  Descriptive  Sketch  of  Utah, 417 

45.  The  Great  Salt  Desert  of  Utah,. 434 

-46.  Historical  and  Descriptive  Sketch  of  Minnesota, » 436 


AUTHORITIES. 


THE  number  of  each  subject,  in  the  Table  of  Contents,  corresponds  with  the  number  set  below, 
against  the  authority  or  authorities  from  whence  it  is  obtained.  Where  an  article  is  de- 
rived from  a  number  of  sources,  the  authorities  are  given  in  the  relative  order  of  their 
respective  amount  of  contribution. 


V  0  L.  I. 

1.  Monette's  Miss.  Valley;    Perkins'  Annals; 

Collins'  Ky.;  Sparks'  Washington;  Ban- 
croft's U.S.;  Flint's  Indian  Wars;  Howe's 
Ohio;  Bonner's  Louisiana;  Lapham's  Wis- 
consin; Day's  Penn.;  Hoffman's  Winter  in 
the  West,  &,c.,  &c. 

2.  Bancroft. 

3.  Schoolcraft's  Trav.;  Agassiz's  Lake  Superior. 

4.  Bancroft;  Perkins;  Bonner. 

5.  Bancroft. 

6.  Schoolcraft. 

7.  Ruxton's  Mexico  and  the  Rocky  Mountains; 

Gregg's  Commerce  of  the  Prairies. 

8.  Mackay 's  Memrs.  of  Extraordinary  Delusions. 
9  Bonner;  Sparks;    Stuart's  Memoir;  Smith's 

Narrative;  Flint;  Monette,  &c. 

10.  Drake's  Indian  Biography;  Simms'  Marion. 

11.  Lanrnan's    Michigan;     Henry's     Captivity; 

Drake's  Biography;  Day's  Penn.;  Perkins. 

12.  Flint's  Ten  Years  in  Miss.  Valley. 

13.  Bonner. 

14.  Whiitlesey's  Discourse  on  Dunmore's  Ex.; 

Monette;  Howe's  Va;  do.  Ohio. 

15.  Lanman;  Mouette. 

16.  Doddridge's  Notes. 

17.  Monette;    Perkins;     Doddridge;     M'Clung's 

Sketches;  American  Pioneer;  Howe's  Ohio, 
&c.,  &c. 

18.  Howe's  Va. 

19.  Marshall's  Ky. 

20.  Sparks' Biog.;  Marshall's  Ky.;  Howe's  Ohio. 

21.  Doddridge. 

22.  M'Donald's  Sketches;  Monette. 

23.  Seymour's  Minnesota;    Long's   Expedition; 

Silliman's  Journal;  Perkins. 

24.  Western  Christian  Advocate;  Doddridge. 

25.  Howe's  Va. 

26.  Cist's  Miscellany,  &c. 

27.  Doddridge. 

28.  Collins'  Ky. 

29.  Flint's  Geog.and  Hist.  Miss.  Val.;  Monette. 

30  Monette;    Burnet's    Notes;    Howe's    Ohio; 

Flint,  &c. 

31  Perkins;  Collins;  Flint, 

32-  Day's  Penu.;  Monette;  Holmes'  Annals. 

33.  Hall's  Sketches,  &c.;  Collins;  Monette. 

34.  Bonner's  La. 

35.  Cist's  Miscellany. 

36.  Howe's  Ohio. 

VOL.  II. 

1.  Doddridge;  the  Compiler. 

2.  Bang's  History  of  Methodism, 

11 


3.  Greenhow's  Oregon;  Gregg's  Commence  of 

Prairies;  Seymour's  Minnesota. 

4.  American  Anecdotes;  Family  Maga/ine. 

5.  Safford's  Blannerhasset;  Pickett's  Alabama, 

Collins;  American  Pioneer. 

6.  Farnham's  Travels. 

7.  Flint's  Ten  Years;  American  Pioneer;  Mis- 

souri Gazetteer. 

8.  Latrobe's  Rambler. 

9.  Drake's  Tecumseh. 

10.  Audubon. 

11.  Flint;  Flint's  Review;  Cist's  Misc.;  Monette. 

12.  Doddridge. 

13.  Perkins'  Late  War;  Brown's  Illinois;  Perkins' 

Annals;  Wilson's  U.S.;  Cist. 

14.  Cist's  Miscellany. 

15.  Drake's  Tecumseh;  the  Compiler. 

16.  Family  Magazine. 

17.  Hall's  Notes. 

18.  Brown's  Illinois. 

19.  Knickerbocker  Magazine. 

20.  Flint. 

21.  Willard's  U.S.;  Perkins'  Annals;   Colton's 

Clay. 

22.  Audubon. 

23.  Seymour's  Minnesota;  Greenhow's  Oregon. 

24.  Ruxton's  Travels. 

25.  American  Anecdotes. 

26.  Flint. 

27.  Ruxton. 

28.  Do. 

29.  Gregg's  Com.  Prairies. 

30?  Perkins'  Annals,  2d  edition;  Brown's  Illinois. 

31.  Prairie  Land. 

32.  Farnham's  Travels. 

33.  The  Compiler. 

34.  Fremont. 

35.  Hunt's  Hist.  Mormonism;  E.  D.  Howe's  do. 

Barber's  Am.  Events;  Brown's  Illinois,  &c. 

36.  Ruxton. 

37.  Farnham;  Gregg. 

38.  Doddridge. 

39.  Wilson's  U-  S.;  Willard's  do.;  Smith's  Gaz 

40.  Gregg;  Wislizenus'  Tour;  Willard;  Ruxtou 

41.  Greenhow;  Wilkes'  Ex.;  Lee  and  Frost's  Ten 

Years  in  Oregon,  &c.,  &c. 

42.  King's  Report;  Taylor's  El  Dorado;  John- 

son's "Sights,"   &c.;   Bryant's  "What  I 
saw,"  &c.;  Fremont;  Willard,  &c. 

43.  Bryant;  Thornton's  Travels. 

44.  Kane's     Discourse;     Fremont;     Greenhow;. 

Speech  in  the  U.  S.  Senate,  of  Hon.  Tru- 
man Smith,  on  the  California  Bill,  &c. 

45.  Bryant. 

46.  Seymour's  Minnesota;  Farnham,  &C. 


HISTORICAL    SKETCH 


OF    THE 


WEST. 


TWENTY  years  after  the  great  event  occurred,  which  has  immortalized 
the  name  of  Christopher  Columbus,  Florida  was  discovered  by  Juan  Ponce 
de  Leon,  ex-governor  of  Porto  Rico.  Sailing  from  that  island  in  March, 
1512,  he  discovered  an  unknown  country,  which  he  named  Florida,  from 
the  abundance  of  its  flowers,  the  tree^  being  covered  with  blossoms,  and  its 
first  being  seen  on  Easter  Sunday,  a  day  called  by  the  Spaniards,  Pascua 
Florida ;  the  name  imports  the  country  of  flowers.  Other  explorers  soon 
visited  the  same  coast.  In  May,  1539,  Ferdinand  de  Soto,  the  Governor 
of  Cuba,  landed  at  Tampa  Bay,  with  six  hundred  followers.  He  marched 
into  the  interior;  and  on  the  1st  of  May,  1641,  discovered  the  Mississippi; 
being  the  first  European  who  had  ever  beheld  that  mighty  river. 

Spain  for  many  years  claimed  the  whole  of  the  country — bounded  by 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  on  the  north,  all  of  which  bore  the 
name  of  Florida.  About  twenty  years  after  the  discovery  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, some  Catholic  missionaries  attempted  to  form  settlements  at  St.  Augus- 
tine, and  its  vicinity;  and  a  few  years  later  a  colony  of  French  Calvinists 
had  been  established  on  the  St.  Mary's,  near  the  coast.  In  1565,  this  set- 
tlement was  annihilated  by  an  expedition  from  Spain,  under  Pedro  Melendez 
de  Aviles  ;  and,  about  nine  hundred  French,  men,  women,  and  children,, 
cruelly  massacred.  The  bodies  of  many  of  the  slain  were,  hung  from  trees, 
with  the  inscription,  "  Not  as  Frenchmen,  but  as  heretics."  Having  accom- 
plished his  bloody  errand,  Melendez  founded  St.  Augustine,  the  oldest  town 
by  half  a  century  of  any  now  in  the  Union.  Four  years  after,  Dominic  de 
Gourges,  burning  to  avenge  his  countrymen,  fitted  out  an  expedition  at  his 
own  expense,  and  surprised  the  Spanish  colonists,  on  the  St.  Mary's ; 
destroying  the  ports,  burning  the  houses,  and  ravaging  the  settlements  with 
fire  and  sword ;  finishing  the  work  by  also  suspending  some  of  the  corpses- 
of  his  enemies  from  trees,  with  the  inscription — "  Not  as  Spaniards,  jut 
as  murderers.99  Unable  to  hold  possession  of  the  country,  De  Gourges- 
retired  to  his  fleet.  Florida,  excepting  for  a  few  years,  remained  under  the 
Spanish  crown,  suffering  much  in  its  early  history,  from  the  vicissitudes- 
of  war,  and  piratical  incursions,  until  1819,  when,  vastly  diminished  from  its 
original  boundaries,  it  was  ceded  to  the  United  States,  and  in  1845  be- 
came a  state. 

In  1535,  James    Cartier,  a  distinguished  French  mariner,  sailed  wsth  an 

exploring   expedition  up  the   St.  Lawrence,  and   taking  possession  of  the 

country  in  the  name  ot  his  king,  called  it   "New  France."     In  1608,  the- 

energetic  Champlam   created  a  nucleus  for   the   settlement  of  Canada,  by.' 

2  13 


4  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WEST. 

founding  Quebec.  This  was  the  same  year  with  the  settlement  of  James- 
town, Virginia :  and  twelve  years  previous  to  that  on  which  the  Puritans 
first  stepped  upon  the  rocks  of  Plymouth. 

To  strengthen  the  establishment  of  French  dominion,  the  genius  of  Cham- 
plain  saw  that  it  was  essential  to  establish  missions  among  the  Indians.  Up 
to  this  period  "  the  far  west "  had  been  untrod  by  the  foot  of  the  white  man. 
In  1616,  a  French  Franciscan,  named  Le  Caron,  passed  through  the  Iro- 
quois  and  Wyandot  nations — to  streams  running  into  Lake  Huron;  and  in 
1634,  two  Jesuits  founded  the  first  mission  in  that  region.  But  just  a  century 
elapsed  from  the  discovery  of  the  Mississippi,  ere  the  first  Canadian  envoys 
met  the  savage  nations  of  the  north-west,  at  the  falls  of  St.  Mary's,  below 
the  outlet  of  Lake  Superior.  It  was  not  until  1659,  that  any  of  the  adven- 
turous fur-traders  wintered  on  the  shores  of  this  vast  lake,  nor  until  1660,  that 
Rene  Mesnard  founded  the  first  missionary  station  upon  its  rocky  and  inhos- 
pitable coast.  Perishing  soon  after  in  the  forest,  it  was  left  to  Father  Claude 
Allouez,  five  years  subsequent,  to  build  the  first  permanent  habitation  of  white 
men  among  the  North- Western  Indians.  In  1668,  the  mission  was  founded 
at  the  falls  of  St.  Mary's,  by  Dablon  and  Marquette ;  in  1670,  Nicholas 
Perrot,  agent  for  the  intendant  of  Canada,  explored  Lake  Michigan  to  near 
its  southern  termination.  Formal  possession  was  taken  of  the  north-west,  by 
the  French,  in  1671,  and  Marquette  established  a  missionary  station  at  Point 
St.  Ignace,  on  the  mainland  north  of  Mackinac,  which  was  the  first  settlement 
in  Michigan. 

Until  late  in  this  century,  owing  to  the  enmity  of  the  Indians  bordering 
.the  lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  the  adventurous  missionaries,  on  their  route 
west,  on  pain  of  death,  were  compelled  to  pass  far  to  the  north  through  "  a 
region  horrible  with  forests,"  by  the  Ottawa  and  French  Rivers  of  Canada. 

As  yet  no  Frenchman  had  advanced  beyond  Fox  River,  of  Winnebago  Lake, 
-in  Wisconsin;  but  in  May,  1673,  the  missionary  Marquette,  with  a  few  com- 
panions, left  Mackinac  in  canoes ;  passed  up  Green  Bay,  entered  Fox  River, 
•crossed  the  country  to  the  Wisconsin,  and,  following  its  current,  passed  into  and 
<liscovered  the  Mississippi ;  down  which  they  sailed  several  hundred  miles,  and 
•returned  in  the  Autumn.    The  discovery  of  this  great  river  gave  great  joy  in  New 
France,  it  being  "  a  pet  idea"  of  that  age  that  some  of  its  western  tributaries 
.would  afford  a  direct  route  to  the  South  Sea,  and  thence  to  China.   Monsieur  La 
JSalle,  a  man  of  indefatigable  enterprise,  having  been  several  years  engaged  in 
•the  preparation,  in  1682,  explored  the  Mississippi  to  the  sea,  and  took  formal 
1'"^     in  >f  the  country  in  &e  name  of  the  King  of  France,  in  honor  of  whom 
ailed  it  Louisiana.     In  1685,  he  also  took  formal  possession  of  Texas, 
and  lounded  a  colony  on  the  Colorado;  but  La  Salle  was  assassinated,  and 
tthe  colony  dispersed. 

^  The  descriptions  of  the  beauty  and  magnificence  of  the  Valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, given  by  these  explorers,  led  many  adventurers  from  the  cold  climate 
•of  Canada,  to  follow  the  same  route,  and  commence  settlements.  About  the 
year  1680,  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia,  the  oldest  towns  in  the  Mississippi 
Valley,  were  founded.  Kaskaskia  became  the  capital  of  the  Illinois  country, 
:and  in  1721,  a  Jesuit  college  and  monastery  were  founded  there. 

A  peace  with  the  Iroquois,  Hurons  and  Ottawas,  in  1700,  gave  the  French 
itacihties  for  settling  the  western  part  of  Canada.  In  June,  1701,  De  la  Motte 
Cadillac,  with  a  Jesuit  missionary  and  a  hundred  men,  laid  the  foundation 
ot  Detroit.  All  of  the  extensive  region  south  of  the  lakes  was  now  claimed 
by  the  French,  under  the  name  of  Canada,  or  New  France.  This  excited  the 
jealousy  of  the  English,  and  the  New  York  legislature  passed  a  law  for 
Banging  every  Popish  priest  that  should  come  voluntarily  into  the  province. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE   WEST.  15 

The  French,  chiefly  through  the  mild  and  conciliating  course  of  their  mis- 
sionaries, had  gained  so  much  influence  over  the  western  Indians,  that,  when 
a  war  broke  out  with  England,  in  1711,  the  most  powerful  of  the  tribes  be- 
came their  allies ;  and  the  latter  unsuccessfully  attempted  to  restrict  their 
claims  to  the  country  south  of  the  lakes.  The  Fox  nation,  allies  of  the  En- 
glish, in  1713  made  an  attack  upon  Detroit;  but  were  defeated  by  the  French 
and  their  Indian  allies.  The  treaty  of  Utrecht,  this  year,  ended  the  war. 

By  the  year  1720,  a  profitable  trade  had  arisen  in  furs  and  agricultural  pro- 
ducts— between  the  French  of  Louisiana,  and  those  of  Illinois ;  and  settle- 
ments had  been  made  on  the  Mississippi,  below  the  junction  of  the  Illinois.  To 
confine  the  English  to  the  Atlantic  coast,  the  French  adopted  the  plan  of 
forming  a  line  of  military  posts,  to  extend  from  the  great  northern  lakes  to 
the  Mexican  Gulf;  and  as  one  of  the  links  of  the  chain,  Fort  Chartres  was 
built  on  the  Mississippi,  near  Kaskaskia;  and  in  its  vicinity  soon  flourished 
the  villages  of  Cahokia,  and  Prairie  du  Rocher. 

The  Ohio  at  this  time  was  but  little  known  to  the  French,  and  on  their  early 
maps  was  but  an  insignificant  stream.  Early  in  this  century  their  missionaries 
had  penetrated  to  the  sources  of  the  Alleghany.  In  1721,  Joncaire,  a  French 
agent  and  trader,  established  himself  among  the  Senecas  at  Lewistown,  and 
Fort  Niagara  was  erected,  near  the  falls,  five  years  subsequent.  In  1735, 
according  to  some  authorities,  Post  St.  Vincent  was  erected  on  the  Wabash. 
Almost  coeval  with  this,  was  the  military  post  of  Presque  Isle,  on  the  site  of 
Erie,  Penn.,  and  from  thence  a  cordon  of  posts  extended  on  the  Alleghany 
to  Pittsburgh  ;  and  from  thence,  down  the  Ohio  to  the  Wabash.*' 

In  1749  the  French  regularly  explored  the  Ohio,  and  formed  alliances  with 
the  Indians  in  Western  New  York,  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  The  En- 
glish, who  claimed  the  whole  west  to  the  Pacific,  but  whose  settlements  were 
confined  to  the  comparatively  narrow  strip  east  of  the  mountains,  were  jealous 
of  the  rapidly  increasing  power  of  the  French  in  the  west.  Not  content  with 
exciting  the  savages  to  hostilities  against  them,  they  stimulated  private  enter- 
prise, by  granting  six  hundred  thousand  acres  of  choice  land  on  the  Ohio,  to 
the  "Ohio  Company." 

By  the  year  1751,  there  were  in  the  Illinois  country,  the  settlements  of 
Cahokia,  five  miles  below  the  site  of  St.  Louis ;  St.  Philip's,  forty-five  miles 
farther  down  the  river ;  St.  Genevieve,  a  little  lower  still,  and  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Mississippi,  Fort  Chartres,  Kaskaskia,  and  Prairie  du  Rocher.  The 
largest  of  these  was  Kaskaskia,  which  at  one  time  contained  nearly  three  thou- 
sand souls. 

In  1748,  the  Ohio  Company,  composed  mainly  of  wealthy  Virginians,  dis- 
patched Christopher  Gist  to  explore  the  country,  gain  the  good-will  of  the 
Indians,  and  ascertain  the  plans  of  the  French.  Crossing  over  land  to  the 
Ohio,  he  proceeded  down  it  to  the  Great  Miami,  up  which  he  passed  to  the 
towns  of  the  Miamies,  about  fifty  miles  north  of  the  site  of  Dayton.  The 
next  year  the  company  established  a  trading  post  in  that  vicinity,  on  Lora- 
mies  Creek,  the  first  point  of  English  settlement  in  the  western  country;  it 
was  soon  after  broken  up  by  the  French. 

*A  map  published  at  London  in  1755,  gives  the  following  list  of  French  posts,  as  then  existing 
in  the  west.  Two  on  French  Creek,  in  the  vicinity  of  Erie,  Peun.;  Duquesne,  on  the  site 
of  Pittsburgh  ;  Miamis,  on  the  Maumee,  near  the  site  of  Toledo  ;  Sandusky,  on  Sandusky  Bay; 
St.  Jov»'j-h's,  on  St.  Joseph's  River,  Michigan  ;  Ponchartrain,  site  of  Detroit  ;  Massillimwcinac  ;  on« 
on  Fox  River,  Green  Bay;  Crevecocur,  on  the  Illinois;  Rockfoi ' .  or  Fort  St.  Louis,  on  the 
Illinois;  Vincennes;  Cahokia  ;  Kaskaskia,  and  one  at  each  of  the  mouths  of  the  Wabash,  Ohio,, 
and  Missouri.  Other  posts  not  named  were  built  about  that  time.  On  the  Ohio,  just  below 
Portsmouth,  are  ruins,  supposed  to  be  those  of  a  French  fort ;  as  they  had  a  post  there  during, 
Braddock's  war. 


16  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WEST. 

ID  the  year  1753,  Dinwiddie,  governor  of  Virginia,  sent  George  Washington, 
then  twenty-one  years  of  age,  as  commissioner,  to  'remonstrate  with  the 
French  commandant  who  was  at  Fort  le  Boetif,  near  the  site  of  Erie,  Penn., 
against  encroachments  of  the  French.  The  English  claimed  the  country 
by  virtue  of  her  first  royal  charters ;  the  French,  by  the  stronger  title  of  dis- 
covery, and  possession.  The  result  of  the  mission  proving  unsatisfactory,  the 
English,  although  it  was  a  time  of  peace,  raised  a  force  to  expel  the  invaders 
from  the  Ohio  and  its  tributaries.  A  detachment  under  Lieut.  Ward  erected  a 
fort  on  the  site  of  Pittsburgh ;  but  it  was  surrendered  shortly  after,  in  April, 
1754,  to  a  superior  force  of  French  and  Indians  under  Contrecceur,  ana  its 
garrison  peaceably  permitted  to  retire  to  the  frontier  post  of  Cumberland. 
Contrecceur  then  erected  a  strong  fortification  at  "  the  fork,"  under  the  name 
of  Fort  Duquesne. 

Measures  were  now  taken  by  both  nations  for  the  struggle  that  was  to 
ensue.  On  the  28th  of  May,  a  strong  detachment  of  Virginia  troops,  under 
Washington,  surprized  a  small  body  of  French  from  Fort  Duquesne,  killed 
its  commander  M.  Jumonville,  and  ten  men,  and  took  nearly  all  the  rest  pri- 
soners. He  then  fell  back  and  erected  Fort  Necessity,  near  the  site  of  Union- 
town.  In  July  he  was  attacked  by  a  large  body  of  French  and  Indians, 
commanded  by  M.  Villiers,and  after  a  gallant  resistance,  compelled  to  capitulate, 
with  permission  to  retire  unmolested  ;  and  under  the  express  stipulation  that 
farther  settlements  or  forts,  should  not  be  founded  by  the  English,  west  of 
the  mountains,  for  one  year. 

On  the  9th  of  July,  1755,  Gen.  Braddock*  was  defeated  within  ten  miles 
of  Fort  Duquesne.  His  army,  composed  mainly  of  veteran  English  troops, 
passed  into  an  ambuscade,  formed  by  a  far  inferior  body  of  French  and  In- 
dians, who,  lying  concealed  in  two  deep  ravines,  each  side  of  his  line  of 
march,  poured  in  upon  the  compact  body  of  their  enemy,  vollies  of  musketry, 
with  almost  perfect  safety  to  themselves.  The  Virginia  provincials,  under 
Washington,  by  their  knowledge  of  border  warfare,  and  cool  bravery,  alone 
saved  the  army  from  complete  ruin.  Braddock  was  himself  mortally  wounded 
by  a  provincial  named  Fausett.  A  brother  of  the  latter  had  disobeyed  the 
silly  orders  of  the  General,  that  the  troops  should  not  take  positions  behind 
the  trees,  when  Braddock  rode  up  and  struck  him  down.  Fausett,  who  saw 
the  whole  transaction,  immediately  drew  up  his  rifle  and  shot  him  through 
the  lungs ;  partly  from  revenge,  and  partly  as  a  measure  of  salvation  to  the 
army,  which  was  being  sacrificed  to  his  headstrong  obstinacy  and  inexperience. 
The  result  of  this  battle  gave  the  French  and  Indians  a  complete  ascend- 
ancy on  the  Ohio,  and  put  a  check  to  the  operations  of  the  English,  west  of 
the  mountains,  for  two  or  three  years.  In  July,  1758,  Gen.  Forbes,  with 
seven  thousand  men,  left  Carlisle,  Penn.,  for  the  west.  A  corps  in  advance, 
pincipally  of  Highland  Scotch,  under  Major  Grant,  were  on  the  13th  of  Sep- 
tember defeated  in  the  vicinity  ot  Fort  Duquesne,  on  the  site  of  Pittsburgh.  A 
short  time  after,  the  French  and  Indians  made  an  unsuccessful  attack  upon  the 
advanced  guard,  under  Col.  Boquet. 

*  Braddock  was  totally  unfit  to  head  an  important  military  expedition.  Vain,  rash,  arrogant,  and  with- 
out military  capacity  ;   a  broken  down  debauchee  and  gambler,  he  was  hated  and  despised  the  moment 
he  assumed  the  command.     "  We  have  a  general,"  wrote  the  brave  and  accomplished  William  Shir- 
t'roin  the  camp  at  Cumberland,  to  his  friend  Governcur  Morris,  at  Philadelphia,  "  most  judi- 
.sly  disqualified  for  the  service  he  is  employed  in,  in  almost  every  respect     I  am    greatly  dis- 
gusted in  seeing  an  expedition — a*  it  is  called — so  ill-concerted  iu  England,  so  ill-appointed,  and  so 
improperly  conducted  since  in  America.      I  shall  be  very  happy  to  retract  hereafter,  what  1  have 
said,  and  submit  to  be  censured  as  moody  and  apprehensive.      I  hope,  my  dear  Morris,  to    spend  a 
tolentble  winter  with  you  at  Philadelphia."     Poor  Shirley  never  saw  that  winter.      He  was  shot 
.through  tlie  brain  at  the  beginning  of  the  battle. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OP  THE  WEST.  17 

*    <Cf     '*•  *""^ 

In  November,  the  commandant  of  Fort  Duquesne,  unable  to  cope  with  the 
superior  force  approaching  under  Forbes,  abandoned  the  fortress,  and  de- 
scended to  New  Orleans.  On  his  route,  he  erected  Fort  Massac,  so  called 
in  honor  of  M.  Massac,  who  superintended  its  construction.  It  was  upon 
the  Ohio,  within  forty  miles  of  its  mouth — and  within  the  limits  of  Illinois. 
Forbes  repaired  Fort  Duquesne,  and  changed  its  name  to  Fort  Pitt,  in  honor 
of  the  English  Prime  Minister. 

The  English  were  now  for  the  first  time  in  possession  of  the  upper  Ohio. 
In  the  spring,  they  established  several  posts  in  that  region,  prominent  among 
which  was  Fort  Burd,  or  Redstone  Old  Fort,  on  the  site  of  Brownsville. 

Owing  to  the  treachery  of  Gov.  Lyttleton,  in  1760,  by  which,  twenty -two 
Cherokee  chiefs  on  an  embassy  of  peace  were  made  prisoners  at  Fort  George, 
on  the  Savannah,  that  nation  flew  to  arms,  and  for  a  while  desolated  the  fron- 
tiers of  Virginia,  and  the  Carolinas.  Fort  Loudon,  in  East  Tennessee,  having 
been  besieged  by  the  Indians,  the  garrison  capitulated  on  the  7th  of  August, 
and  on  the  day  afterward,  while  on  the  route  to  Fort  George,  were  attacked, 
and  the  greater  part  massacred.  In  the  summer  of  1761,  Col.  Grant  invaded 
their  country,  and  compelled  them  to  sue  for  peace.  On  the  north  the  most 
brilliant  success  had  attended  the  British  arms.  Ticonderoga,  Crown  Point, 
and  Fort  Niagara,  and  Quebec  were  taken  in  1759,  and  the  next  year  Mon- 
treal fell,  and  with  it  all  of  Canada. 

By  the  treaty  of  Paris,  in  1763,  France  gave  up  her  claim  to  New  France, 
and  Canada  ;  embracing  all  the  country  east  of  the  Mississippi,  from  its  source 
to  the  Bayou  Iberville.  The  remainder  of  her  Mississippi  possessions,  em- 
bracing Louisiana  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  the  Island  of  Orleans,  she 
soon  after  secretly  ceded  to  Spain,  which  terminated  the  dominion  of 
France  on  this  continent,  and  her  vast  plans  for  empire. 

At  this  period  Lower  Louisiana  had  become  of  considerable  importance. 
The  explorations  of  La  Salle  in  the  Lower  Mississippi  country,  were  re- 
newed in  1697,  by  Lemoine  D' Iberville,  a  brave  French  naval  officer.  Sail- 
ing with  two  vessels,  he  entered  the  Mississippi  in  March  1698,  by  the 
Bayou  Iberville.  He  built  forts  on  the  Bay  of  Biloxi,  and  at  Mobile,  both 
of  which  were  deserted  for  the  Island  of  Dauphine,  which  for  years  was  the 
head-quarters  of  the  colony.  He  also  erected  Fort  Balise,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  and  fixed  on  the  site  of  Fort  Rosalie ;  which  latter  became  the  scene 
of  a  bloody  Indian  war. 

After  his  death,  in  1706,  Louisiana  was  but  little  more  than  a  wilderness, 
and  a  vain  search  for  gold,  and  trading  in  furs,  rather  than  the  substantial 
pursuits  of  agriculture,  allured  the  colonists ;  and  much  time  was  lost  in 
journeys  of  discovery,  and  in  collecting  furs  among  distant  tribes.  Of  the  oc- 
cupied lands,  Biloxi  was  a  barren  sand,  and  the  soil  of  the  Isle  of  Dau- 
phine  poor.  Bienvllle,  the  brother  and  successor  of  D'  Iberville,  was  at  the 
fort  on  the  Delta  of  the  Mississippi,  where  he  and  his  soldiers  were  liable  to 
inundations,  and  held  joint  possession  with  mosquitoes,  frogs,  snakes  and 
alligators. 

In  1712,"  Antoine  de  Crozat,  an  East  India  merchant,  of  vast  wealth,  pur- 
chased a  grant  of  the  entire  country,  with  the  exclusive  right  of  commerce 
for  sixteen  years.  But  in  1717,  the  speculation  having  resulted  in  his  ruin, 
and  to  the  injury  of  the  colonists,  he  surrendered  his  privileges.  Soon  after, 
a  number  of  other  adventurers,  under  the  name  of  the  Mississippi  Company, 
obtained  from  the  French  government  a.  charter,  which  gave  them  all  the 
rights  of  sovereignty,  except  the  bare  title,  including  a  complete  monopoly  of 
the  trade,  and  the  mines.  Their  expectations  were  chiefly  from  the  mines; 


18  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WEST. 

and  on  the  strength  of  a  former  traveler,  Nicolas  Perrot,  having  discovered 
a  copper  mine  in  the  valley  of  St.  Peters,  the  directors  of  the  company 
assigned  to  the  soil  of  Louisiana,  silver  and  gold ;  and  to  the  mud  of  the 
Mississippi,  diamonds  and  pearls.  The  notorious  Law,  who  then  resided 
at  Paris,  was  the  secret  agent  of  the  company.  To  form  its  capital,  its  shares 
were  sold  at  five  hundred  livres  each;  and  such  was  the  speculating  mania 
of  the  times,  that  in  a  short  time  more  than  a  hundred  millions  were  realized. 
Although  this  proved  ruinous  to  individuals,  yet  the  colony  was  greatly 
benefited  by  the  consequent  emigration,  and  agriculture  and  commerce 
flourished. 

In  1719,  Renault,  an  agent  of  the  Mississippi  Company,  left  France  with 
about  two  hundred  miners  and  emigrants,  to  carry  out  the  mining  schemes  of 
the  company.  He  bought  five  hundred  slaves  at  St.  Domingo,  to  work 
the  mines,  which  he  conveyed  to  Illinois  in  1720.  He  established  him- 
self a  few  miles  above  Kaskaskia,  and  founded  there  the  village  of  St.  Philips. 
Extravagant  expectations  existed  in  France,  of  his  probable  success  in  ob- 
taining gold  and  silver.  He  sent  out  exploring  parties  in  various  sections  of 
Illinois  and  Missouri.  His  explorations  extended  to  the  banks  of  the  Ohio 
and  Kentucky  rivers,  and  even  to  the  Cumberland  valley  in  Tennessee,  where 
at  "  French  Lick,"  on  the  site  of  Nashville,  the  French  established  a  tra- 
ding post.  Although  Renault  was  woefully  disappointed  in  not  discovering 
extensive  mines  of  gold  or  silver,  yet  he  made  various  discoveries  of  lead; 
among  which  were  the  mines  north  of  Potosi,  and  those  on  the  St.  Francois. 
He  eventually  turned  his  whole  attention  to  the  smelting  of  lead,  of  which  he 
made  considerable  quantities,  and  shipped  to  France.  He  remained  in  the 
country  until  1744.  Nothing  of  consequence  was  again  done  in  mining, 
until  after  the  American  revolution. 

In  1718,  Bienville  laid  out  the  town  of  New  Orleans,  on  the  plan  of  Roche- 
fort,  France.  Some  four  years  after,  the  bankruptcy  of  Law  threw  the 
colony  into  the  greatest  confusion,  and  occasioned  wide  spread  ruin  in 
France,  where  speculation  had  been  carried  to  an  extreme  unknown  before. 

The  expenditures  for  Louisiana,  were  consequently  stopped,  but  the  colony 
had  now  gained  strength  to  struggle  for  herself.  Louisiana  was  then  divi- 
ded into  nine  cantons,  of  which  Arkansas  and  Illinois  formed  each  one. 

About  this  time,  the  colony  had  considerable  difficulty  with  the  Indian 
tribes,  and  were  involved  in  wars  with  the  Chickasaws,  and  the  Natchez. 
This  latter  named  tribe  were  finally  completely  conquered.  The  remnant 
of  them  dispersed  among  other  Indians,  so  that,  that  once  powerful  people,  as 
a  distinct  race,  was  entirely  lost.  Their  name  alone  survives,  as  that  of  a 
flourishing  city.  Tradition  related  singular  stories  of  the  Natchez.  It  was 
believed  that  they  emigrated  from  Mexico,  and  were  kindred  to  the  Incas  of 
Peru.  The  Natchez  alone,  of  all  the  Indian  tribes,  had  a  consecrated  temple, 
where  a  perpetual  fire  was  maintained  by  appointed  guardians.  Near  the 
temple,  on  an  artificial  mound,  stood  the  dwelling  of  their  chief — called  the 
Great  Sun;  who  was  supposed  to  be  descended  from  that  luminary,  and 
all  a'ound  were  grouped  the  dwellings  of  the  tribe.  His  power  was  abso- 
lute; the  dignity  was  hereditary,  and  transmitted  exclusively  through  the 
female  line ;  and  the  race  of  nobles  was  so  distinct,  that  usage  had  molded 
language  into  the  forms  of  reverence. 

In  1732,  the  Mississippi  Company  relinquished  their  charter  to  the  king, 
alter  holding  possession  fourteen  years.  At  this  period,  Louisiana  had  five 
thousand  whites,  and  twenty-five  hundred  blacks.  Agriculture  was  improving 
in  all  the  nine  cantons,  particularly  in  Illinois,  which  was  considered 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WEST.  19 

the  granary  of  the  colony.  Louisiana  continued  to  advance  until  the  war 
broke  out  with  England  in  1755,  which  resulted  in  the  overthrow  of  French 
dominion. 

Immediately  after  the  peace  of  1763,  all  the  old  French  forts  in  the  west, 
as  far  as  Green  Bay  were  repaired  and  garrisoned  with  British  troops. 
Agents  and  surveyers  too,  were  making  examinations  of  the  finest  lands 
east  and  north-east  of  the  Ohio.  Judging  from  the  past,  the  Indians  were 
satisfied  that  the  British  intended  to  possess  the  whole  country.  The  cele- 
brated Ottowa  chief,  Pontiac,  burning  with  hatred  against  the  English,  in 
that  year  formed  a  general  league  with  the  western  tribes,  and  by  the  middle 
of  May,  all  the  western  posts  had  fallen — or  were  closely  besieged  by  the  In- 
dians, and  the  whole  frontier,  for  almost  a  thousand  miles,  suffered  from  the 
merciless  fury  of  savage  warfare.  Treaties  of  peace  were  made  with  the 
different  tribes  of  Indians,  in  the  year  following,  at  Niagara,  by  Sir  William 
Johnson;  at  Detroit  or  vicinity  by  Gen.  Bradstreet,  and,  in  what  is  now  Co- 
shocton  county,  Ohio,  by  Col.  Boqwet;  at  the  German  Flats,  on  the  Mo- 
hawk, with  the  Six  Nations  and  their  confederates.  By  these  treaties,  ex- 
tensive tracts  were  ceded  by  the  Indians,  in  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  and 
south  of  Lake  Erie. 

Peace  having  been  concluded,  the  excitable  frontier  population  began  to  cross 
the  mountains.  Small  settlements  were  formed  on  the  main  routes,  extending 
north  toward  Fort  Pitt,  and  south  to  the  head  waters  of  the  Holston  and 
Clinch,  in  the  vicinity  of  South-western  Virginia.  In  1766,  a  town  was 
laid  out  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Pitt.  Military  land-warrants  had  been  issued 
in  great  numbers,  and  a  perfect  mania  for  western  land,  had  taken  possession 
of  the  people  of  the  middle  colonies.  The  treaty  made  by  Sir  William 
Johnson,  at  Fort  Stanwix,  on  the  site  of  Utica,  New  York,  in  October, 
1768,  with  the  Six  Nations  and  their  confederates,  and  those  of  Hard  Labor 
and  Lochaber,  made  with  the  Cherokees,  afforded  a  pretext  under  which  the 
settlements  were  advanced.  It  was  now  falsely  claimed  that  the  Indian  title 
was  extinguished  east  and  south  of  the  Ohio,  to  an  indefinite  extent,  and 
the  spirit  of  emigration  and  speculation  in  land,  greatly  increased.  Among 
the  land  companies  formed  at  this  time,  was  the  "  Mississippi  Company,"  of 
which  George  Washington  was  an  active  member. 

Up  to  this  period,  very  little  was  known  by  the  English  of  the  country  south 
of  the  Ohio.  In  1754,  James  M.  Bride,  with  some  others,  had  passed  down 
the  Ohio,  in  canoes ;  and  landing  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  River, 
marked  the  initials  of  their  names,  and  the  date  on  the  barks  of  trees.  On 
their  return,  they  were  the  first  to  give  a  particular  account  of  the  beauty  and 
richness  of  the  country,  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  British  settlements.  No 
farther  notice  seems  to  have  been  taken  of  Kentucky,  until  the  year  1767, 
when  John  Finlay,  an  Indian  trader,  with  others,  passed  through  a  part  of 
the  rich  lands  of  Kentucky — then  called  by  the  Indians  "the  Dark  and 
Bloody  Ground"  Finlay,  returning  to  North  Carolina,  fired  the  curiosity  of 
his  neighbors  by  the  reports  of  the  discoveries  he  had  made.  In  consequence 
of  this  information,  Cof.  Daniel  Boone,  in  company  with  Finlay,  Stewart, 
Holden,  Monay  and  Cool,  set  out  from  their  residence  on  the  Zadkin,  in 
North  Carolina,  May  1st,  1769;  and  after  a  long  and  fatiguing  march,  over 
a  moutiinous  and  pathless  wilderness,  arrived  on  the  Red  River.  Here,  from 
the  top  of  an  eminence,  Boone  and  his  companions  first  beheld  a  distant  view 
of  the  beautiful  lands  of  Kentucky.  The  plains  and  forests  abounded  with  wild 
beasts  of  every  kind ;  deer  and  elk  were  common  ;  the  buffalo  were  seen  in  herds, 
and  the  plains  covered  with  the  richest  verdure.  The  glowing  descriptions 
of  these  adventurers  inflamed  the  imaginations  of  the  borderers,  and  their 
o 


20  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WEST. 

own  sterile  hills  and  mountains  beyond,  lost  their  charms,  when  compared  to 
the  fertile  plains  of  this  newly-discovered  Paradise  in  the  West. 

In  1770,  Ebenezer  Silas  and  Jonathan  Zane  settled  Wheeling.  In  1771, 
such  was  the  rush  of  emigration  to  Western  Pennsylvania,  and  Western  Vir- 
ginia, in  the  region  of  the  Upper  Ohio,  that  every  kind  of  breadstuff  became 
so  scarce,  that  for  several  months,  a  great  part  of  the  population  were  obliged 
to  subsist  entirely  on  meats,  roots,  vegetables  and  milk,  to  the  entire  exclusion 
of  all  breadstuff's;  and  hence  that  period  was  long  alter  known,  as  "the  starv- 
ing year."  Settlers,  enticed  DV  the  beauty  of  the  Cherokee  country, 
emigrated  to  East  Tennessee,  and  hundreds  of  families  also,  moved  farther 
south,  to  the  mild  climate  of  West  Florida,  which  at  this  period  extended  to 
the  Mississippi.  In  the  summer  of  1773,  Frankfort  and  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
were  laid  out.  The  next  year  was  signalized  by  "  Dunmore's  war,"  which 
temporarily  checked  the  settlements. 

In  the  summer  of  1774,  several  other  parties  of  surveyors  and  hunters  entered 
Kentucky,  and  James  Harrod  erected  a  dwelling — the  first  erected  by  whites 
in  the  country,  on  or  near  the  site  of  Harrodsburg,  around  which  afterward 
arose  "  Harrod  Station."  In  the  year  1775,  8ol.  Richard  Henderson,  a 
native  of  North  Carolina,  in  behalf  of  himself  and  his  associates,  purchased 
of  the  Cherokees  all  the  country  lying  between  the  Cumberland  River  and 
Cumberland  mountains  and  Kentucky  river,  and  south  of  the  Ohio, 
which  now  comprises  more  than  half  of  the  State  of  Kentucky.  The 
new  country  he  reamed  Transylvania.  The  first  legislature  sat  at  Boons- 
borough,  and  formed  an  independent  government,  on  liberal  and  rational  prin- 
cioles.  Henderson  was  very  active  in  granting  lands  to  new  settlers.  The 
legislature  of  Virginia  subsequently  crushed  his  schemes;  they  claimed  the 
sole  right  to  purchase  lands  from  the  Indians,  and  declared  his  purchase  null 
and  void.  But  as  some  compensation  for  the  services  rendered  in  opening 
the  wilderness,  the  legislature  granted  to  the  proprietors  a  tract  of  land,  twelve 
miles  square,  on  the  Ohio,  below  the  mouth  of  Green  River. 

In  1775,  Daniel  Boone,  in  the  employment  of  Henderson,  laid  out  the  town 
and  fort  afterward  called  Boonsborough.  From  this  time,  Boonsborough  and 
Harrodsburg  became  the  nucleus  and  support  of  emigration  and  settlement 
in  Kentucky.  In  May,  another  fort  was  also  built,  which  was  under  the 
command  of  Col.  Benjamin  Logan,  and  named  Logan's  Fort.  It  stood  on 
thtsitc  of  Stanford,  in  Lincoln  county,  and  became  an  important  post. 

In  1776,  the  jurisdiction  of  Virginia  was  formally  extended  over  the  colony 
of  Transylvania,  which  was  organized  into  a  county  named  Kentucky,  and 
the  first  court  was  held  at  Harrodsburg  in  the  spring  of  1787.  At  this  time 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  was  in  full  progress,  and  the  early  settlers  of  Ken- 
tucky  were  particularly  exposed  to  the  incursions  of  the  Indian  allies  of 
Great  Britain;  a  detailed  account  of  which  is  elsewhere  given  in  this  volume. 
The  early  French  settlements  in  the  Illinois  country  now  being  in  possession 
of  that  power,  formed  important  points  around  which  the  British  assembled 
the  Indians  and  instigated  them  to  murderous  incursions  against  the  pioneer 
population. 

The  year  1779  was  marked,  in  Kentucky,  by  the  passage  of  the  Virginia 
Land  Laws.  At  this  time,  there  existed  claims,  of  various  kinds,  to  the 
western  lands.  Commissioners  were  appointed  to  examine  and  give  judgment 
upon  these  various  claims  as  they  might  be  presented.  These  having  been 
provided  for,  the  residue  of  the  rich  lands  of  Kentucky  were  in  the  market. 
As  a  consequence  of  the  passage  of  these  laws,  a  vast  number  of  emigrants 
crossed  the  mountains  into  Kentucky  to  locate  land  warrants :  and  in  the 
vears  1779-'80  and  '81,  the  great  and  absorbing  topic  in  Kentucky  was  to 


BOONE'S  FIRST  VIEW  OF  KENTUCKY 

•  "Here  from  the  top  of  an  eminence,  Boone  and  hia  companions 
first  beheld  a  distant  view  of  the  beautiful  lands  of  Kentucky.  The 
plains  and  forests  abounded  with  wild  beasts  of  every  k'.nd ;  deer 
and  elk  were  common:  thn  buffalo  were  seen  in  herds,  and  the 
plains  covered  with  the  richest  verdure." 


'  Fair  was  the  scene  that  lay 

Before  the  little  band, 
Which  paused  upon  its  toilsome  way, 
To  view  this  new  found  land. 

Field,  stream  and  valley  spread, 

Far  as  the  eye  could  gaze, 
With  summer's  beauty  o'er  them  shed, 

And  sunlight's  brightest  rays. 


Flowers  of  the  fairest  dyes, 
Trees  clothed  in  richest  green; 

And  brightly  smiled  the  deep  blue  skies, 
O'er  this  enchanting  scene. 

Such  was  Kentucky  then, 

With  wild  luxuriance  blest; 
Where  no  invading  hand  had  been, 

The  garden  of  the  West." 


I 


21 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WEST.  23 

enter  survey  and  obtain  patents  for  the  richest  lands,  and  this,  too,  in  the 
face  of  all  the  horrors  and  dangers  of  an  Indian  war. 

Although  the  main  features  of  the  Virginia  land  laws  were  just  and  liberal, 
yet  a  great  defect  existed  in  their  not  providing  for  a  general  survey  of  the 
country  by  the  parent  state,  and  its  subdivision  into  sections  and  parts  of 
sections.  Each  warrant-holder  being  required  to  make  his  own  survey,  and 
having  the  privilege  of  locating  according  to  his  pleasure,  interminable 
confusion  arose  from  want  of  precision  in  the  boundaries.  In  unskillful 
hands,  entries,  surveys  and  patents  were  piled  upon  each  other,  overlapping 
and  crossing  in  inextricable  confusion;  hence,  when  the  country  became 
densely  populated,  arose  vexatious  law-suits  and  perplexities.  Such  men  as 
Kenton  and  Boone,  who  had  done  so  much  for  the  welfare  of  Kentucky  in 
its  early  days  of  trial,  found  their  indefinite  entries  declared  null  and  void, 
and  were  dispossessed,  in  their  old  age,  of  any  claim  upon  that  soil  for  which 
they  had  periled  their  all. 

The  close  of  the  revolutionary  war,  for  a  time  only,  suspended  Indian 
hostilities,  when  the  Indian  war  was  again  carried  on  with  renewed  energy. 
This  arose  from  the  failure  of  both  countries  from  fully  executing  the  terms 
of  the  treaty.  By  it,  England  was  obligated  to  surrender  the  northwestern 
posts  within  the  boundaries  of  the  Union,  and  to  return  slaves  taken  during 
the  war.  The  United  States,  on  their  part,  had  agreed  to  offer  no  legal 
obstacles  to  the  collection  of  debts  due  from  her  citizens  to  those  of  Great 
Britain.  Virginia,  indignant  at  the  removal  of  her  slaves  by  the  British  fleet, 
by  law,  prohibited  the  collection  of  British  debts,  while  England,  in 
consequence,  refused  to  deliver  up  the  posts,  so  that  they  were  held  by  her 
more  than  ten  years,  until  Jay's  treaty  was  concluded. 

Settlements  rapidly  advanced.  Simon  Kenton  having,  in  1784,  ere-cted  a 
block-house  on  the  site  of  Maysville, — then  called  Limestone — that  became 
the  point  from  whence  the  stream  of  emigration,  from  down  its  way  on  the 
Ohio,  turned  into  the  interior. 

In  the  spring  of  1783,  the  first  court  in  Kentucky  was  held  at  Harrodsburg., 
At  this  period,  the  establishment  of  a  government,  independent  of  Virginia,, 
appeared  to  be  of  paramount  necessity,  in  consequence  of  troubles  with  the- 
Indians.  For  this  object,  the  first  convention  in  Kentucky  was  held  at 
Danville,  in  December,  1784;  but  it  was  not  consummated  until  eight, 
separate  conventions  had  been  held,  running  through  a  term  of  six  years. 
The  last  was  assembled  in  July,  1790;  on  the  4th  of  February,  1791,  Congress* 
passed  the  act  admitting  Kentucky  into  the  Union,  and  in  the  April  following,, 
she  adopted  a  State  Constitution. 

Prior  to  this,  unfavorable  impressions  prevailed  in  Kentucky  against  the> 
Union,  in  consequence  of  the  inability  of  Congress  to  compel  a  surrender  of 
the  northwest  posts,  and  the  apparent  disposition  of  the  northern  States  to* 
yield  to  Spain,  for  twenty  years,  the  sole  right  to  navigate  the  Mississippi  to* 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  exclusive  right  to  which  was  claimed  by  that  power 
as  being  within  her  dominions.  Kentucky  was  suffering  under  the  horrors; 
of  Indian  warfare,  and  having  no  government  of  her  own,  saw  that  that  beyond; 
the  mountains  was  unable  to  afford  them  protection.  When  in  the  year  1786^ 
several  States  in  Congress  showed  a  disposition  to  yield  the  right  of  navigating; 
the  Mississippi  to  Spain  for  certain  commercial  advantages,  which  would 
inure  to  their  benefit,  but  not  in  the  least  to  that  of  Kentucky,  there  arose  aa 
universal  voice  of  dissatisfaction ;  and  many  were  in  favor  of  declaring  the 
independence  of  Kentucky  and  erecting  an  independent  government  west  of 
the  mountains. 

Spain  was  then  an  immense  land-holder  in  the  west.     She  claimed  all  east? 


24  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WEST. 

of  the  Mississippi  lying  south  of  the  31st  degree  of  north  latitude,  and  all  west 
of  that  river  to  the  ocean. 

In  May,  1787,  a  convention  was  assembled  at  Danville  to  remonstrate  with 
Congress  against  the  proposition  of  ceding  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi 
to  Spain  ;  but  it  having  been  ascertained  that  Congress,  through  the  influence 
of  Virginia  and  the  other  southern  States,  would  not  permit  this,  the 
convention  had  no  occasion  to  act  upon  the  subject. 

In  the  year  1787,  quite  a  sensation  arose  in  Kentucky  in  consequence  of  a 
profitable  trade  having  been  opened  with  New  Orleans  by  Gen.  Wilkinson, 
who  descended  thither  in  June,  with  a  boat  load  of  tobacco  and  other 
productions  of  Kentucky.  Previously,  all  those  who  ventured  down  the  river 
within  the  Spanish  settlements,  had  their  property  seized.  The  lure  was  then 
held  out  by  the  Spanish  Minister,  that  if  Kentucky  would  declare  her 
independence  of  the  United  States,  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  should 
be  opened  to  her;  but  that,  never  would  this  privilege  be  extended  while 
she  was  a  part  of  the  Union,  in  consequence  of  existing  commercial  treaties 
between  Spain  and  other  European  powers. 

In  the  winter  of  1788-9,  the  notorious  Dr.  Connolly,  a  secret  British  agent 
from  Canada,  arrived  in  Kentucky.  His  object  appeared  to  be  to  sound  the 
temper  of  her  people,  and  ascertain  if  they  were  willing  to  unite  with  British 
troops  from  Canada,  and  seize  upon  and  hold  New  Orleans  and  the  Spanish 
settlements  on  the  Mississippi.  He  dwelt  upon  the  advantages  which  it  must 
be  to  the  people  of  the  west  to  hold  and  possess  the  right  of  navigating  the 
Mississippi ;  but  his  overtures  were  not  accepted. 

At  this  time,  settlements  had  been  commenced  within  the  present  limits  of 
Ohio.  Before  giving  a  sketch  of  these,  we  glance  at  the  western  land  claims. 

The  claim  of  the  English  monarch  to  the  Northwestern  Territory  was  ceded 
to  the  United  States  by  the  treaty  of  peace,  signed  at  Paris,  September  3d, 
1783.  During  the  pendency  of  this  negotiation,  Mr.  Oswald,  the  British 
commissioner,  proposed  the  river  Ohio  as  the  western  boundary  of  the  United 
•States,  and  but  for  the  indomitable  persevering  opposition  of  John  Adams, 
•one  of  the  American  commissioners,  who  insisted  upon  the  Mississippi  as  the 
•boundary,  this  proposition  would  have  probably  been  acceded  to. 

The  States  who  owned  western  unappropriated  lands  under  their  original 
•charters  from  British  rnonarchs,  with  a  single  exception,  ceded  them  to  the 
United  States.  In  March,  1784,  Virginia  ceded  the  soil  and  jurisdiction  of 
;her  lands  northwest  of  the  Ohio.  In  September,  1786,  Connecticut  ceded 
her  claim  to  the  soil  and  jurisdiction  of  her  western  lands,  excepting  that  part 
•of  Ohio  known  as  the  "  Western  Reserve,"  and  to  that  she  ceded  her 
jurisdictional  claims  in  1800.  Massachusetts  and  New  York  ceded  all  their 
•claims.  Beside  these  were  the  Indian  claims  asserted  by  the  right  of 
possession.  These  have  been  extinguished  by  various  treaties,  from  time  to 
time,  as  the  inroads  of  emigration  rendered  necessary. 

The  Indian  title  to  a  large  part  of  the  territory  of  Ohio  having  become 
•extinguished,  Congress,  before  settlements  were  commenced,  found  it  necessary 
ito  pass  ordinances  for  the  survey  and  sale  of  the  lands  in  the  Northwest 
Territory.  In  October,  1787,  Manasseh  Cutler  and  Winthrop  'Sargeant, 
.-agents  of  the  New  England  Ohio  Company,  made  a  large  purchase  of  land, 
bounded  south  by  the  Ohio,  and  west  by  the  Scioto  river.  Its  settlement 
was  commenced  at  Marietta  in  the  spring  of  1788,  which  was  the  first  made 
by  the  Americans  within  Ohio.  A  settlement  had  been  attempted  within  the 
Jimits  of  Ohio,  on  the  site  of  Portsmouth,  in  April,  1785,  by  four  families 
from  Redstone,  Pennsylvania,  but  difficulties  with  the  Indians  compelled  its 
abandonment. 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  Of  THE  WEST.  25 

About  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  Marietta,  Congress  appointed  General 
Arthur  St.  Clair,  Governor ;  Winthrop  Sargeant,  Secretary ;  and  Samuel 
Holden  Parsons,  James  M.  Varnum  and  John  Cleves  Symmes,  Judges  in 
and  over  the  Territory.  They  organized  its  government  and  passed  laws, 
and  the  governor  erected  the  county  of  Washington,  embracing  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  eastern  half  of  the  present  limits  of  Ohio. 

In  November,  1788,  the  second  settlement  within  the  limits  of  Ohio  was 
commenced  at  Columbia,  on  the  Ohio,  five  miles  above  the  site  of  Cincinnati, 
and  within  the  purchase  and  under  the  auspices  of  John  Cleves  Symmes  and 
associates.  Shortly  after,  settlements  were  commenced  at  Cincinnati  and  at 
North  Bend,  sixteen  miles  below,  both  within  Symmes's  purchase.  In  1790, 
another  settlement  was  made  at  Galliopolis  by  a  colony  from  France — the 
name  signifying  city  of  the  French. 

On  the  9th  of  [January,  1789,  a  treaty  was  concluded  at  Fort  Harmer, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum,  opposite  Marietta,  by  Governor  St.  Clair, 
in  which  the  treaty,  which  had  been  made  four  years  previous,  at  Fort 
M'Intosh,  on  the  site  of  Beaver,  Pennsylvania,  v/as  renewed  and  confirmed. 
It  did  not,  however,  produce  the  favorable  results  anticipated.  The  Indians, 
the  same  year,  committed  numerous  murders,  which  occasioned  the  alarmed 
settlers  to  erect  block-houses  in  each  of  the  new  settlements.  In  June,  Major 
Doughty,  with  one  hundred  and  forty  men,  commenced  the  erection  of  Fort 
Washington,  on  the  site  of  Cincinnati.  In  the  course  of  the  summer,  Gen. 
Harmer  arrived  at  the  Fort  with  three  hundred  men. 

Negotiations  with  the  Indians  proving  unfavorable,  Gen.  Harmer  marched, 
in  September,  1790,  from  Cincinnati  with  thirteen  hundred  men,  less  than 
one-fourth  of  whom  were  regulars,  to  attack  their  towns  on  the  Maumee. 
He  succeeded  in  burning  their  towns  ;  but  in  an  engagement  with  the  Indians, 
part  of  his  troops  met  with  a  severe  loss.  The  next  year,  a  larger  army  was 
assembled  at  Cincinnati,  under  Gen.  St.  Clair,  composed  of  about  three 
thousand  men.  With  this  force,  he  commenced  his  march  toward  the  Indian 
towns  on  the  Maumee.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  November,  1791, 
his  army,  while  in  camp  on  what  is  now  the  line  of  Darke  and  Mercer 
counties,  within  three  miles  of  the  Indiana  line,  and  about  seventy  north  from 
Cincinnati,  were  surprised  by  a  large  body  of  Indians,  and  defeated  with 
terrible  slaughter.  A  third  army,  under  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne,  was  organized. 
On  the  20th  of  August,  1794,  they  met  and  completely  defeated  the  Indians, 
on  the  Maumee  river,  about  twelve  miles  south  of  the  site  of  Toledo.  The 
Indians,  at  length,  becoming  convinced  of  their  inability  to  resist  the 
American  arms,  sued  for  peace.  On  the  3d  of  August,  1795,  Gen.  Wayne 
concluded  a  treaty  at  Greenville,  sixty  miles  north  of  Cincinnati,  with  eleven 
of  the  most  powerful  northwestern  tribes,  in  grand  council.  This  gave  peace 
to  the  WTest,  of  several  years'  duration,  during  which,  the  settlements  progressed 
with  great  rapidity.  Jay's  Treaty,  concluded  November  19th,  1794,  was  a 
most  important  event  to  the  prosperity  of  the  West.  It  provided  for  the 
withdrawal  of  all  the  British  troops  from  the  northwestern  posts.  In  1796, 
the  Northwestern  Territory  was  divided  into  five  counties.  Marietta  was  the 
seat  of  justice  of  Hamilton  and  Washington  counties ;  Vincennes,  of  Knox 
county;  Kaskaskia,  of  St.  Clair  county;  and  Detroit,  of  Wayne  county. 
The  settlers,  out  of  the  limits  of  Ohio,  were  Canadian  or  Creole  French. 
The  head-quarters  of  the  northwest  army  were  removed  to  Detroit,  at  which 
point  a  fort  had  been  built  by  De  la  Motte  Cadillac,  as  early  as  1701. 

Originally  Virginia  claimed  jurisdiction  over  a  large  part  of  Western  Penn 
sylvania  as  being  within  her  dominions,  yet  it  was  not  until  after  the 
close  of  the  Revolution  that  the  boundary  line  was  permanently  established. 


26  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WEST. 

Then  this  tract  was  divided  into  two  counties.  The  one,  Westmoreland, 
extended  from  the  mountains  west  of  the  Alleghany  River,  including  Pittsburgh 
and  all  the  country  between  the  Kishkeminitas  and  the  Youghiogeny.  The 
other,  Washington,  comprised  all  south  and  west  of  Pittsburgh,  inclusive  of 
all  the  country  east  and  west  of  the  Monongahela  River.  ^At  this^period  Fort 
Pitt  was  a  frontier  post,  around  which  had  sprung  up  the  village  of  Pittsburgh, 
which  was  not  regularly  laid  out  into  a  town  until  1784.  The  settlement  on 
the  Monongahela  at  "Redstone  Old  Fort,"  or  "Fort  Burd,"  as  it  originally 
was  called,  having  become  an  important  point  of  embarkation  for  western 
emigrants,  was  the  next  year  laid  off  into  a  town  under  the  name  of  Browns- 
ville. Regular  forwarding  houses  were  soon  established  here,  by  whose  lines 
goods  were  systematically  wagoned  over  the  mountains,  thus  superseding  the 
.slow  and  tedious  mode  of  transportation  by  pack-horses,  to  which  the  emi- 
grants had  previously  been  obliged  to  resort. 

In  July,  1786,  "  The  Pittsburgh  Gazette,"  the  first  newspaper  issued  in 
the  west,  was  published;  the  second  being  the  "Kentucky  Gazette."  estab- 
lished at  Lexington,  in  August  of  the  next  year.  As  late  as  1791  the 
Alleghany  river  was  the  frontier  limit  of  the  settlements  of  Pennsylvania, 
the  Indians  holding  possession  of  the  region  around. its  northwestern  tribu- 
taries, with  the  exception  of  a  few  scattering  settlements,  which  were  all 
simultaneously  broken  up  and  exterminated  in  one  night  in  February  of  this 
year,  by  a  band  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  Indians.  During  the  campaign? 
of  Harmer,  St.  Clair,  and  Wayne,  Pittsburgh  was  the  great  depot  for  the 
armies. 

By  this  time  agriculture  and  manufactures  had  begun  to  flourish  in  Western 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  and  an  extensive  trade  was  carried  on  with  the 
settlements  on  the  Ohio  and  on  the  lower  Mississippi,  with  New  Orleans  and 
the  rich  Spanish  settlements  in  its  vicinity.  Monongahela  whisky,  horses, 
cattle,  and  agricultural  and  mechanical  implements  of  iron  were  the  principal 
articles  of  export.  The  Spanish  government  soon  after  much  embarrassed 
this  trade  by  imposing  heavy  duties. 

The  first  settlements  in  Tennessee  were  made  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Loudon,  on  the  Little  Tennessee,  in  what  is  now  Monroe  county,  East 
Tennessee,  about  the  year  1758.  Forts  Loudon  and  Chissel  were  built 
at  that  time  by  Colonel  Byrd,  who  marched  into  the  Cherokee  country  with 
a  regiment  from  Virginia.  The  next  year  war  broke  out  with  the  Cherokees. 
In  1760  the  Cherokees  besieged  Fort  Loudon,  into  which  the  settlers  had 
gathered  their  families,  numbering  nearly  three  hundred  persons.  The  latter 
were  obliged  to  surrender  for  want  of  provisions,  but  agreeably  to  the  terms 
of  capitulation  were  to  retreat  unmolested  beyond  the  Blue  Ridge.  When 
they  had  proceeded  about  twenty  miles  on  their  route,  the  savages  fell  upon 
them  and  massacred  all  but  nine,  not  even  sparing  the  women  and  children. 

The  only  settlements  were  thus  broken  up  by  this  war.  The  next  year 
the  celebrated  Daniel  Boone  made  an  excursion  from  North  Carolina  to  the 
waters  of  the  Holstein.  In  1766  Colonel  James  Smith,  with  five  others,  tra- 
versed a  great  portion  of  Middle  and  West  Tennessee.  At  the  mouth  of  the 
Tennessee  Smith's  companions  left  him  to  make  farther  explorations  ir. 
Illinois,  while  he,  in  company  with  a  negro  lad,  returned  home  through  the 
wilderness,  after  an  absence  of  eleven  months,  during  which  he  saw  "  neither 
bread,  money,  women,  nor  spirituous  liquors." 

Other  explorations  soon  succeeded,  and  permanent  settlements  first  made  in 
1768  and  '69,  by  emigrants  from  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  who  weie 
scattered  along  the  branches  of  the  Holstein,  French  Broad,  and  Watau^a. 
The  jurisdiction  of  North  Carolina  was  in  1777  extended  over  the  Western 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WEST.  27 

District,  which  was  organized  as  the  county  of  Washington,  and  extending 
nominally  westward  to  the  Mississippi.  Soon  after,  some  of  the  more  daring 
pioneers  made  a  settlement  at  Bledsoe's  station,  in  Middle  Tennessee,  in  the 
heart  of  the  Chickasaw  nation,  and  separated  several  hundred  miles,  by  the 
usual  traveled  route,  from  their  kinsmen  on  the  Holstein.  A  number  of 
French  traders  had  previously  established  a  trading  post  and  erected  a  few 
cabins  at  the  "Bluff"  near  the  site  of  Nashville.  To  the  same  vicinity 
Colonel  James  Robertson,  in  the  fall  of  1780,  emigrated  with  forty  families 
from  North  Carolina,  who  were  driven  from  their  homes  by  the  marauding 
incursions  of  Tarleton's  cavalry,  and  established  "Robertson's  Station," 
which  formed  the  nucleus  around  which  gathered  the  settlements  on  the 
Cumberland.  The  Cherokees  having  commenced  hostilities  upon  the  frontier 
inhabitants  about  the  commencement  of  the  year  1781,  Colonel  Campbell,  of 
Virginia,  with  seven  hundred  mounted  riflemen,  invaded  their  country  and 
defeated  them.  At  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  settlers  moved  in  in  large  num- 
bers from  Virginia,  North  and  South  Carolina  and  Georgia.  Nashville  was 
laid  out  in  the  summer  of  1784,  and  named  from  General  Francis  Nash,  who 
fell  at  Brandy  wine. 

The  people  of  this  district,  in  common  with  those  of  Kentucky,  and  on  the 
upper  Ohio,  were  deeply  interested  in  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
under  the  tempting  offers  of  the  Spanish  governor  of  Louisiana,  many  were 
lured  to  emigrate  to  West  Florida  and  become  subjects  of  the  Spanish 
kirn*. 

North  Carolina  having  ceded  her  claims  to  her  western  lands,  Congress, 
in  May,  1790,  erected  this  into  a  territory  under  the  name  of  the  "South- 
western Territory,"  according  to  the  provisions  of  the  ordinance  of  1787, 
excepting  the  article  prohibiting  slavery. 

The  territorial  government  was  organized  with  a  legislature,  a  legislative 
council,  with  William  Blount  as  their  first  governor.  Knoxville  was  made 
the  seat  of  government.  A  fort  was  erected  to  intimidate  the  Indians, 
by  the  United  States,  in  the  Indian  country,  on  the  site  of  Kingston.  From 
this  period  until  the  (inal  overthrow  of  the  north-western  Indians  by  Wayne, 
this  territory  suffered  from  the  hostilities  of  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees,  who 
were  secretly  supplied  with  arms  and  ammunition  by  the  Spanish  agents,  with 
the  hope  that  they  would  exterminate  the  Cumberland  settlements.  In  1795 
the  territory  contained  a  population  of  seventy-seven  thousand  two  hundred 
and  sixty  two,  of  whom  about  ten  thousand  were  slaves.  On  the  first  of 
June,  1796,  it  was  admitted  into  the  Union  as  the  State  of  Tennessee. 

By  the  treaty  of  October  27th,  1795,  with  Spain,  the  old  sore,  the  right  of 
navigating  the  Mississippi,  was  closed,  that  power  ceding  to  the  United 
States  the  right  of  free  navigation. 

The  Territory  of  Mississippi  was  organized  in  1798,  and  Winthrop 
Sargeant  appointed  Governor.  By  the  ordinance  of  1787,  the  people  of  the 
Northwest  Territory  were  entitled  to  elect  Representatives  to  a  Territorial 
Legislature  whenever  it  contained  5000  males  of  full  age.  Before  the  close 
of  the  year  1798,  the  Territory  had  this  number,  and  members  to  a  Territorial 
Legislature  were  soon  after  chosen.  In  the  year  1799,  Wm.  H.  Harrison 
was  chosen  the  first  delegate  to  Congress  from  the  Northwest  Territory.  In 
1800,  the  Territory  of  Indiana  was  formed,  and  the  next  year,  William  H. 
Harrison  appointed  Governor.  This  Territory  comprised  the  present  States 
of  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Michigan,  which  vast  country  then  had 
less  than  6000  whites,  and  those  mainly  of  French  origin.  On  the  30th  of 
April,  1802,  Congress  passed  an  act  authorizing  a  convention,  to  form  a 
constitution  for  Ohio.  This  convention  met  at  Chillicothe  in  the  succeeding 


28  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WEST. 

November,  and,  on  the  29th  of  that  month,  a  constitution  of  State  Government 
was  ratified  and  signed,  by  which  act  Ohio  became  one  of  the  States  of  the 
Federal  Union.  In  October,  1802,  the  whole  western  country  was  thrown 
into  a  ferment  by  the  suspension  of  the  American  right  of  depositing  goods 
and  produce  at  Ne*  Orleans,  guaranteed  by  the  treaty  of  1795,  with  Spain. 
The  whole  commerce  of  the  west  was  struck  at  in  a  vital  point,  and  the  treaty 
evidently  violated.  On  the  25th  of  February,  1803,  the  port  was  opened  to 
provisions,  on  paying  a  duty,  and  in  April  following,  by  orders  of  the  King 
of  Spain,  the  right  of  deposit  was  restored. 

After  the  treaty  of  1763,  Louisiana  remained  in  possession  of  Spain  until 
1803,  when  it  was  again  restored  to  France  by  the  terms  of  a  secret  article 
in  the  treaty  of  St.  Ildefonso  concluded  with  Spain  in  1800.  France  held  but 
brief  possession;  on  the  30th  of  April,  she  sold  her  claim  to  the  United  States 
for  the  consideration  of  fifteen  millions  of  dollars.  On  the  20th  of  the 
succeeding  December,  Gen.  Wilkinson  and  Claiborne  took  possession  of  the 
country  for  the  United  States,  and  entered  New  Orleans  at  the  head  of  the 
American  troops. 

On  the  llth  of  January,  1805,  Congress  established  the  Territory  of 
Michigan,  and  appointed  Wm.  Hull,  Governor.  This  same  year,  Detroit 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  The  town  occupied  only  about  two  acres,  completely 
covered  with  buildings  and  combustible  materials,  excepting  the  narrow 
intervals  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  feet  used  as  streets  or  lanes,  and  the  whole  was 
environed  with  a  very  strong  and  secure  defense  of  tall  and  solid  pickets. 

At  this  period,  the  conspiracy  of  Aaron  Burr  began  to  agitate  the  western 
country.  In  December,  1806,  a  fleet  of  boats,  with  arms,  provisions  and 
ammunition,  belonging  to  the  confederates  of  Burr,  were  seized,  upon  the 
Muskingum,  by  agents  of  the  United  States,  which  proved  a  fatal  blow  to  the 
project.  In  1809,  the  Territory  of  Illinois  was  formed  from  the  western  part 
of  the  Indiana  Territory,  and  named  from  tne  powerful  tribe  which  once  had 
occupied  its  soil. 

The  Indians,  who,  since  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  had  been  at  peace,  about 
the  year  1810,  began  to  commit  aggressions  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  west, 
under  the  leadership  of  Tecumseh.  The  next  year,  they  were  defeated  by 
Gen.  Harrison,  at  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  in  Indiana.  This  year  was  also 
distinguished  by  the  voyage,  from  Pittsburgh  to  New  Orleans,  of  the  steamboat 
"New  Orleans,"  the  first  steamer  ever  launched  upon  the  western  waters. 

In  June,  1812,  the  United  States  declared  war  against  Great  Britain.  Of 
this  war,  the  west  was  the  principal  theater.  Its  opening  scenes  were  as 
gloomy  and  disastrous  to  the  American  arms  as  its  close  was  brilliant  and 
triumphant. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  the  population  of  the  Territories  of  Indiana,  Illinois 
and  Michigan  was  less  than  50,000.  But,  from  that  time  onward,  the  tide 
of  emigration  again  went  forward  with  unprecedented  rapidity.  On  the  19th 
of  April,  1816,  Indiana  was  admitted  into  the  Union,  and  Illinois,  on  the  3d 
of  December,  1818.  The  remainder  of  the  Northwest  Territory,  as  then 
organized,  was  included  in  the  Territory  of  Michigan,  of  which,  that  section 
west  of  Lake  Michigan,  bore  the  name  of  the  Huron  District.  This  part  of 
the  west  increased  so  slowly  that,  by  the  census  of  1830,  the  Territory  of 
Michigan  contained,  exclusive  of  the  Huron  District,  but  28,000  souls,  while 
that  had  only  a  population  of  3,640.  Emigration  began  to  set  in  more 
strongly  to  the  Territory  of  Michigan  in  consequence  of  steam  navigation 
having  been  successfully  introduced  upon  the  great  lakes  of  the  west.  The 
first  steamboat  upon  these  immense  inland  seas  was  the  "  Walk- in-the- Water," 
which,  in  1819,  went  as  far  as  Mackinaw;  yet,  it  was  not  until  1826  that  a 


HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WEST.  29 

steamer  rode  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  six  years  more  had  elapsed 
ere  one  had  penetrated  as  far  as  Chicago. 

The  year  1832  was  signalized  by  three  important  events  in  the  history  of 
the  west,  viz : — The  first  appearance  of  the  Asiatic  Cholera,  the  Great  Flood 
in  the  Ohio,  and  the  war  with  Black  Hawk. 

The  west  has  suffered  serious  drawbacks,  in  its  progress,  from  inefficient 
systems  of  banking.  One  bank  frequently  was  made  the  basis  of  another, 
and  that  of  a  third,  and  so  on  throughout  the  country.  Some  three  or  four 
shrewd  agents  or  directors,  in  establishing  a  bank,  would  collect  a  few 
thousands  in  specie,  that  had  been  honestly  paid  in,  and  then  make  up  the 
remainder  of  the  capital  with  the  bills  or  stock  from  some  neighboring  bank. 
Thus,  so  intimate  was  the  connection  of  each  bank  with  others,  that,  when 
one  or  two  gave  way,  they  all  went  down  together  in  one  common  ruin. 

In  1804,  the  year  preceding  the  purchase  of  Louisiana,  Congress  formed, 
from  part  of  it,  the  "  Territory  of  Orleans,"  which  was  admitted  into  the  Union 
in  1812,  as  the  State  of  Louisiana.  In  1805,  after  the  Territory  of  Orleans  was 
erected,  the  remaining  part  of  the  purchase  from  the  French  was  formed  into 
the  Territory  of  Louisiana,  of  which  the  old  French  town  of  St.  Louis  was 
the  capital.  This  town,  the  oldest  in  the  Territory,  had  been  founded  in 
1764,  by  M.  Laclede,  agent  for  a  trading  association,  to  whom  had  been 
given,  by  the  French  government  of  Louisiana,  a  monopoly  of  the  commerce 
in  furs  and  peltries  with  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  Missouri  and  Upper 
Mississippi.  The  population  of  the  Territory,  in  1805,  was  trifling,  and 
consisted  mainly  of  French  Creoles  and  traders,  who  were  scattered  along  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  Arkansas.  Upon  the  admission  of  Louisiana 
as  a  State,  the  name  of  the  Territory  of  Louisiana  was  changed  to  that  of 
Missouri.  From  the  southern  part  of  this,  in  1819,  was  erected  the  Territory 
of  Arkansas,  which  then  contained  but  a  few  thousand  inhabitants,  who  were 
mainly  in  detached  settlements  on  the  Mississippi  and  on  the  Arkansas,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  "  Post  of  Arkansas."  The  first  settlement  in  Arkansas  was 
made  on  the  Arkansas  river,  about  the  year  1723,  upon*  the  grant  of  the 
notorious  John  Law;  but,  being  unsuccessful,  was  soon  after  abandoned.  In 
1820,  Missouri  was  admitted  into  the  Union,  and  Arkansas  in  1836. 

Michigan  was  admitted  as  a  State  in  1837.  The  Huron  District  was 
organized  as  the  Wisconsin  Territory,  in  1836,  and  was  admitted  into  the 
Union,  as  a  State,  in  1848.  The  first  settlement  in  Wisconsin  was  made  in 
1665,  when  Father  Claude  Allouez  established  a  mission  at  La  Pointe,  at 
the  western  end  of  Lake  Superior.  Four  years  after,  a  mission  was  perma- 
nently established  at  Green  Bay :  and,  eventually,  the  French  also  estab- 
lished themselves  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  In  1819,  an  expedition,  under 
Governor  Cass,  explored  the  territory,  and  found  it  to  be  little  more  than  the 
abode  of  a  few  Indian  traders,  scattered  here  and  there.  About  this  time, 
the  Government  established  military  posts  at  Green  Bay  and  Prairie  du 
Chien.  About  the  year  1825,  some  farmers  settled  in  the  vicinity  of 
Galena,  which  had  then  become  a  noted  mineral  region.  Immediately  after 
the  war  with  Black  Hawk,  emigrants  flowed  in  from  New  York,  Ohio,  and 
Michigan,  and  the  flourishing  towns  of  Milwaukie,  Sheboygan,  Racine, 
and  Southport  were  laid  out  on  the  borders  of  Lake  Michigan.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  the  same  war,  the  lands  west  of  the  Mississippi  were  thrown  open 
to  emigrants,  who  commenced  settlements  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Madison 
and  Burlington,  in  1833.  Dubuque  had  long  before  been  a  trading  post,  and 
was  the  first  settlement  in  Iowa.  It  derived  its  name  from  Julien  Dubuque, 
an  enterprising  French  Canadian,  who,  in  1788,  obtained  a  grant  of  one 
hundred  and  forty  thousand  acres  from  the  Indians,  upon  which  he  resided 


30  HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  THE  WEST. 

until  his  death,  in  1810,  when  he  had  accumulated  immense  wealth  by  lead 
mining  and  trading.  In  June,  1838,  Iowa  was  erected  into  a  Territory,  and 
in  1846,  became  a  State. 

In  1849,  Minnesota  Territory  was  organized;  it  then  contained  a  little  less 
than  five  thousand  souls.  The  first  American  establishment  in  the  Territory 
was  Fort  Snelling,  at  the  mouth  of  St.  Peters,  or  Minnesota  river,  which 
was  founded  in  1819.  The  French,  and  afterward  the  English,  occupied 
this  country  with  their  fur-trading  forts.  Pembina,  on  the  northern  boundary, 
is  the  oldest  village,  having  been  established  in  1812  by  Lord  Selkirk,  r, 
Scottish  nobleman,  under  a  grant  from  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 

But  here  the  adventurous  spirit  of  emigration  does  not  pause.  The  blue 
waters  of  the  far  distant  Pacific  is  the  present  barrier  of  the  never  ceasing 
human  tide.  The  rich  valleys  of  Oregon  and  the  golden  sands  of  California 
are  now  the  lures  to  attract  thousands  from  the  comforts  of  home,  civilization, 
and  refinement,  in  search  of  fortune  and  independence  in  distant  wilds. 


HISTORICAL  EVENTS ; 

JT' 

REMARKABLE   INDIVIDUAL  ADVENTURES; 

SKETCHES  OF  FRONTIER  LIFE,  ETC- 

DISCOVERY  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 

THE  first  explorers  of  Florida  described  the  interior  as  abounding  in  im- 
mense quantities  of  gold.  Fired  by  these  reports,  Ferdinand  de  Soto,  the 
favorite  companion  of  Pizarro  in  the  conquest  of  Peru,  sought  and  obtained 
his  monarch's  permission  to  conquer  Florida.  No  sooner  was  the  project 
published  in  Spain  than  the  wildest  hopes  were  indulged,  and  crowds  of  the 
wealthy  and  chivalrous  cavaliers  volunteered  to  enlist  under  the  banner  of  De 
Soto.  Selecting  six  hundred  men  in  the  bloom  of  life,  the  flower  of  his 
country,  De  Soto  set  sail  from  the  port  of  San  Lucar,  and  in  May,  1539, 
landed  at  Tampa  Bay,  on  the  western  coast  of  Florida. 

And  now  began  the  nomadic  march  of  the  adventurers  in  an  unknown 
land,  they  knew  not  whither ;  a  numerous  body  of  horsemen,  beside  infantry, 
completely  armed ;  a  force  exceeding  in  numbers  and  equipments  the  famous 
expeditions  against  the  empires  of  Mexico  and  Peru.  Everything  was  pro- 
vided that  experience  in  former  invasions  and  the  cruelty  of  avarice  could 
suggest ;  chains  for  captives,  arms  of  all  kinds  then  in  use,  and  bloodhounds, 
as  auxiliaries  against  the  feeble  natives.  It  was  a  roving  expedition  of  gal- 
lant freebooters  in  quest  of  fortune.  It  was  a  romantic  stroll  of  men  whom 
avarice  rendered  ferocious,  through  unexplored  regions,  over  unknown  paths ; 
wherever  rumor  might  point  to  the  residence  of  some  chieftain  writh  more  than 
Peruvian  wealth,  or  the  ill  interpreted  signs  of  the  ignorant  natives  might 
seem  to  promise  a  harvest  of  gold.  Religious  zeal  was  also  united  with 
avarice ;  there  were  not  only  cavalry  and  foot  soldiers,  with  all  that  belongs  to 
warlike  array ;  but  twelve  priests,  beside  other  ecclesiastics,  accompanied  the 
expedition.  Florida  was  to  become  Catholic  during  scenes  of  robbery  and 
carnage.  Ornaments,  such  as  are  used  at  the  service  of  mass,  were  carefully 
provided;  every  festival  was  to  be  kept;  every  religious  practice  to  be  ob- 
served. As  the  procession  marched  through  the  wilderness,  the  solemn  pro- 
cession, which,  the  usages  of  the  church  enjoined,  was  scrupulously  instituted. 

The  march  was  tedious  and  full  of  dangers :  the  Indians  always  hostile. 
Their  Indian  guides  would  purposely  lead  the  Castilians  astray,  and  involve 
them  in  morasses ;  even  though  death  under  the  fangs  of  the  bloodhounds  was 
the  certain  punishment.  Captives  whom  they  took  were  questioned  as  to  the 
locality  of  gold,  and,  on  giving  unsatisfactory  answers,  were  punished ;  one 
was  burnt  alive  for  his  supposed  falsehood.  Others,  taken  prisoners,  were 
tortured,  some  to  death;  others  enslaved.  These  were  led  in  chains  with 

(31) 


THE 

FRENCH,  ENGLISH, 

AND 

Spanish  Possessions 


NORTH  AMERICA 

IN  1730. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  33 

ron  collars  about  their  necks ;  their  service  was  to  grind  the  maize  and  to 
:arry  the  baggage.  One  of  their  battles  with  the  Indians  at  their  town  on 
he  site  of  Mobile  was  among  the  bloodiest  Indian  fights  ever  known.  The 
grrors  of  their  cavalry  gave  the  victory  to  the  Spaniards.  The  town  was  set 
»n  fire,  and  two  thousand  five  hundred  of  the  natives  are  said  to  have  been 
lain,  suffocated  or  burned.  They  had  fought  with  desperate  courage  ;  and 
»ut  for  the  flame  which  consumed  their  light  and  dense  settlements,  would 
tave  effectually  repulsed  the  invaders.  "  Of  the  Christians,  eighteen  died  ;" 
>ne  hundred  and  fifty  were  wounded  with  arrows;  twelve  horses  were  slain 
nd  seventy  hurt.  The  baggage  of  the  Spaniards,  which  was  within  the 
own,  was  entirely  consumed.  Amid  these  discouragements  the  soldiers  de- 
ired  to  return  home.  De  Soto  was  "a  stern  man,  and  of  few  words."  He 
ras  inflexible,  and  his  followers  "  condescending  to  his  will,"  continued  to 
fiarch  onward  through  wild  solitudes,  suffering  for  want  of  food,  their  once 
;ay  apparel  changed  for  skins  of  wild  beasts  and  mats  of  ivy. 

After  devious  wanderings,  great  hardships,  and  the  loss  of  many  of  his  men, 
rom  disease  and  the  arrows  and  war-clubs  of  the  savages,  De  Soto,  on  the 
rst  of  May,  1641,  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  near  the  site  of 
Memphis.  Soto  was  the  first  of  Europeans  to  behold  that  magnificent  river,* 
rhich  rolled  its  immense  mass  of  waters  through  the  splendid  vegetation  of  a 
ride  alluvial  soil.  The  lapse  of  three  centuries  has  not  changed  the  character 
f  the  stream.  It  was  then  described  as  more  than  a  mile  broad ;  flowing  with 

strong  current,  and  by  the  weight  of  its  waters  forcing  a  channel  of  great 
epth.  The  water  was  always  muddy.  Trees  and  timber  were  continually 
ioating  down  stream. 

Crossing  the  river,  he  marched  in  a  north-west  direction,  more  than  two 
Lundred  miles,  to  near  the  highlands  of  White  River,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
ioundary  line  betweeen  Arkansas  and  Missouri.  Neither  gold  nor  gems  did 
tie  mountains  offer,  and  the  disappointed  adventurers  turned  southward, 
tassing  their  third  winter  upon  the  Washita,  a  branch  of  the  Red  River  of 
Louisiana.  Increased  misfortunes,  repeated  disappointments,  and  wasting 
nelancholy  so  bore  upon  the  health  of  Soto,  that  he  fell  a  prey  to  a  malig- 
iant  fever  in  the  spring  following.  His  soldiers  mourned  his  loss ;  the  priest 
;hanted  over  his  remains  the  first  requiems  ever  heard  on  the  Mississippi, 
yhile  the  body  of  its  discoverer,  wrapt  in  a  mantle  in  the  gloom  of  midnight, 
vas  sunk  beneath  its  turbid  waters.  Thus  perished  the  gallant  de  Soto, 
vho  had  crossed  a  large  part  of  the  continent  in  search  of  gold,  and  found 
lothing  so  remarkable  as  his  burial-place. 

His  dispirited  followers,  now  reduced  to  near  half  of  their  original  num- 
>ers,  first  attempted  to  cross  the  country  to  Mexico;  but  being  compelled  to 
igain  turn  eastward,  they  constructed  barks,  sailed  down  the  Mississippi, 
ind  following  the  coast  of  the  Mexican  Gulf,  reached  the  Spanish  settle- 
nents  near  the  site  of  Tampico,  in  Mexico,  in  September,  1543.  Thus 
erminated  an  expedition  of  more  than  four  years,  extraordinary  in  duration, 
ind  distinguished  as  being  the  first  visit  of  Europeans  to  "the  great  father 
)f  waters."  It  was  an  expedition,  wild  and  romantic  in  its  conception;  in 
it  keeping  with  that  age  of  chivalrous  adventure  and  visionary  impulse. 


*The  iiame  is  derived  from  the  Indian  word  Mesasippi,  signifying  "Great  River."     The  French, 
rora  the  time  of  Louis  XIV.,  called  it  St.  Louis  river,  in  honor  of  that  monarch. 


34  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 


SCENERY  OF  LAKE  SUPERIOR. 

LAKE  Superior  is  to  be  figured  to  the  mind  as  a  vast  basin  scooped  out  of 
the  plateau  extending  from  the  Alleghanies  to  the  Mississippi  Valley.  This 
huge  basin  is  filled  with  pure  icy  water  of  a  greenish  cast.  The  average 
temperature  about  40  deg.  Fahrenheit.  It  is  the  largest  body  of  fresh  water 
on  the  globe,  being  about  fifteen  hundred  miles  in  circumference,  and  in 
some  parts  over  a  thousand  feet  in  depth.  It  embraces  in  its  midst  many 
islands,  the  largest  of  which,  Isle  Royal,  contains  near  four  thousand  square 
miles.  Its  waters  are  remarkably  pure,  transparent,  and  abound  with  fish, 
particularly  trout,  sturgeon,  and  white  fish,  which  are  caught  in  large  quanti- 
ties, and  are  becoming  a  considerable  article  of  commerce. 

The  country  along  the  lake  is  one  of  the  most  dreary  imaginable.  Every- 
where its  surface  is  rocky,  broken,  and  unproductive,  even  in  the  natural 
growth  of  trees,  common  to  rugged  regions.  Its  climate  is  cold  and  inhos- 
pitable ;  the  means  of  subsistence  are  so  circumscribed  that  man  finds  no 
possibility  of  residing  upon  it  in  a  savage  state.  Game  is  extremely  scarce, 
and  few  if  any  esculent  plants  grow  spontaneously.  But  from  its  very  wild- 
ness  and  dreariness  this  coast  derives  a  charm  which  we  would  vainly  hope 
to  find  in  more  favored  regions.  The  high  hills,  the  rugged  precipices,  the 
rocky  shores,  with  their  spare  vegetation,  are  relieved  by  the  transparency 
and  purity  of  the  waters  that  wash  their  base ;  these  are  often  so  clear  that 
the  pebbles  can  be  distinctly  seen  at  the  depth  of  near  thirty  feet.  The  canoe 
of  the  voyager  frequently  appears  as  if  suspended  in  air,  so  transparent  is 
the  liquid  upon  which  it  floats;  the  spectator  who  keeps  his  eyes  too  long 
intent  upon  gazing,  at  the  bottom,  feels  his  head  grow  giddy,  as  though  he 
were  looking  down  a  deep  abyss.  When  lashed  in  fury  by  a  storm,  the  lake 
is  a  most  sublime  and  awe-inspiring  object,  the  waves  rolling  ocean  high  and 
dashing  wildly  against  a  stern,  rocky  coast. 

The  Pictured  Rocks  and  the  Doric  Arch  on  the  south  shore  near  the  east 
end,  are  great  curiosities,  and  are  thus  described  by  a  traveler: 

On  goin^  three  leagues  we  reached  the  commencement  of  the  Pictured 
Rocks,  La  Portaille,  of  the  French  voyageurs — a  series  of  lofty  bluffs,  which 
continue  for  twelve  miles,  along  the  shore,  and  present  some  of  the  most  sub 
lime  and  commanding  views  in  nature.  We  had  been  told  by  our  Canadian 
guide  of  the  variety  in  the  color  and  form  of  these  rocks,  but  were  wholly 
unprepared  to  encounter  the  surprising  groups  of  overhanging  precipices,  tower- 
ing walls,  caverns,  water-falls,  and  prostrate  ruins  which  are  here  mingled 
in  the  most  wonderful  disorder,  and  burst  upon  the  view  in  ever  varying  and 
pleasing  succession.  In  order  to  convey  any  just  idea  of  their  magnificence, 
it  is  necessary  to  premise  that  this  part  of  the  shore  consists  of  a  sandstone 
rock  of  a  light  gray  color,  externally,  and  deposited  stratum  above  stratum  to 
the  height  of  three  hundred  feet,  rising  in  a  perpendicular  wall  from  the 
water,  and  extending  from  four  to  five  leagues  in  length.  This  stupendous 
wall  of  rock,  exposed  to  the  fury  of  the  waves,  which  are  driven  up  at  every 
north  wind  across  the  whole  width  of  Lake  Superior,  has  been  partially 
prostrated  at  several  points,  and  worn  out  into  numerous  bays  and  irregular 
indentations.  All  these  point  upon  the  Lake,  in  a  line  of  aspiring  promon- 
tories, which,  at  a  distance  present  the  terrible  array  of  dilapidated  battle- 
ments and  desolate  towers: 

"  Their  rocky  summits  split  and  rent, 
Formed  turret,  dome  or  battlement, 


. 


I 


NORTH    HKORF.    OF    LAKE    SUPERIOR 

"When  lashed  in  fury  by  a  storm,  the  Lake  is  a  most  sublime  and  awe -inspiring 
ob;ecc  the  waves  rolling  ocean  high,  a-ad  dashiag  wildly  against  a  stern,  rocky 
coast 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  37 

Or  seemed  fantastically  set 
With  cupola  or  minaret, 
Wild  crests  as  pagod  ever  decked, 
Or  mosque  of  eastern  minaret." 

In  some  places  the  waves  have  lashed  down  the  lower  strata,  while  the 
upper  ones  hang  in  a  threatening  posture  over  the  lake ;  in  others,  extensive 
caverns  have  been  worn  into  the  rock,  and  in  this  way  rocky  bluffs,  nearly 
severed  from  the  mainland,  are  left  standing  upon  rude  and  massy  pillars,  be- 
tween which  barges  and  canoes  might  safely  sail.  All  that  we  read  of  the 
natural  physiognomy  of  the  Hebrides  of  Staffa,  the  Dorehelm,  and  tl. 
romantic  isles  of  the  Sicilian  coast,  is  probably  recalled  in  viewing  tl 
scene,  and  it  may  be  doubted  whether  in  the  whole  range  of  American 
scenery  there  is  to  be  found  such  an  interesting  assemblage  of  grand-,  pic- 
turesque, and  pleasing  objects.  Among  many  striking  features  two  attn?  ted 
particular  admiration — the  Cascade,  La  Portaille,  and  the  Doric  Arch,  The 
Cascade  is  situated  about  four  miles  beyond  the  commencement  of  the  range 
of  bluffs,  and  in  the  center  of  the  most  commanding  part  of  it.  It  consists  of 
a  handsome  stream,  which  is  precipitated  about  seventy  feet  from  the  bluff, 
at  one  leap  into  the  lake.  Its  form  is  that  of  a  rainbow  rising  from  the  lake 
to  the  top  of  the  precipice.  The  Doric  Rock  is  an  isolated  mass  of  sand- 
stone, consisting  of  four  natural  pillars,  supporting  a  stratum  or  entablature 
of  the  same  material,  and  presenting  the  appearance  of  a  work  of  art.  On 
the  top  of  this  entablature  rests  a  stratum  of  alluvial  soil,  covered  with  a 
handsome  growth  of  pine  and  spruce  trees,  some  of  which  appear  to  be  fifty 
or  sixty  feet  in  height.  To  add  to  the  appearance  of  the  scene,  that  part  of 
the  entablature  included  between  the  pillars,  is  excavated  in  the  form  of  a 
common  arch,  giving  it  very  much  the  appearance  of  a  vaulted  passage  into 
the  court-yard  of  some  massy  pile  of  antiquated  buildings. 

Although  the  Lake  Superior  country  affords  few  or  no  inducements  to  the 
agriculturist,  yet  the  success  of  the  companies  who  have  recently  commenced 
working  for  copper,  together  with  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  mineral 
existing  there,  will  render  it  a  most  important  mining  country.  Strong  evi- 
dence is  furnished  that  these  mines  were  once  worked  by  the  same  mysterious 
race  who,  anterior  to  the  Indians,  built  the  mounds  and  ancient  works  of  the 
west.  In  the  latter  have  been  found  various  copper  trinkets  bespangled  with; 
silver  scales,  a  peculiar  feature  of  the  Lake  Superior  copper,  while  on  the 
shores  of  the  Lake  itself,  abandoned  mines,  filled  by  the  accumulation  of 
ages,  have  recently  been  re-opened,  the  existence  of  which  was  unknown,, 
even  to  the  traditions  of  the  present  race  of  Indians.* 


EXPLORATIONS  OF  MARQUETTE  AND  LA  SALLE. 

JAMES  MARQUETTE  was  one  of  the  most  zealous  of  that  extraordinary  clas* 
of  men,  the  Jesuit  Missionaries.  In  1668,  he  repaired  to  St.  Mary's,  the 
outlet  of  Lake  Superior,  where  he  was  employed  in  his  holy  calling.  In  his 
various  excursions,  he  was  exposed  to  the  inclemencies  of  nature  and  to  the 
savage;  he  took  his  life  in  his  hand  and  bade  them  defiance;  waded  through- 
water  and  through  snows,  without  the  comfort  of  a  fire  ;  subsisted  on  pounded* 
maize ;  was  frequently  without  any  other  food  than  the  unwholesome  moss- 
gathered  from  the  rocks ;  traveled  far  and  wide,  but  never  without  peril.  Still 

*  These  mines,  consisting  of  horizontal  trenches,  were  worked  from  the  surface  downward,  and 
present  evidence  that/re  was  the  principal  agent  used  in  excavating. 

5 


38  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES— 

said  he,  life  in  the  wilderness  had  its  charms — his  heart  swelled  with  rapture 
as  he  moved  over  the  waters,  transparent  as  the  most  limpid  fountain. 

While  residing  at  St.  Mary's,  he  resolved  to  explore  the  Mississippi,  of 
whose  magnificence  many  tales  had  been  told.  The  project  was  favored  by 
Talon,  the  Intendant  or  Governor  of  New  France,  who  wished  to  ascertain 
whether  the  Mississippi  poured  its  mighty  floods  into  the  Pacific  Ocean,  or 
into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  On  the  10th  of  June,  1673,  he  left  an  Indian 
village,  on  Fox  river,  of  Green  Bay,  beyond  which  the  foot  of  a  white  man 
had  never  penetrated.  His  companions  were  Joliet,  a  French  gentleman,  five 
French  voyageurs  and  two  Indian  guides.  They  transported  their  two  bark 
canoes  on  their  shoulders,  across  the  portage  of  Fox  River,  launched  them  on 
the  Wisconsin,  and  passing  down  that  stream,  reached,  on  the  7th  of  July, 
the  great  "  Father  of  Waters"  which  they  entered  with  "  a  joy  that  could 
not  be  expressed,"  and  raising  their  sails  to  new  skies,  and  to  unknown 
breezes,  floated  down  this  mighty  river,  between  broad  plains,  garlanded  with 
majestic  forests  and  chequered  with  illimitable  prairies  and  island  groves. 
They  descended  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles,  when  Marquette  and 
Joliet  landed,  and  followed  an  Indian  trail  about  six  miles,  to  a  village. 
They  were  met  by  four  old  men,  bearing  the  pipe  of  peace  and  "brilliant 
with  many  colored  plumes."  An  aged  chief  received  them  at  his  cabin,  and, 
with  uplifted  hands,  exclaimed:  "How  beautiful  is  the  sun,  Frenchmen, 
when  thou  comest  to  visit  us ! — our  whole  village  awaits  thee — in  peace  thou 
shalt  enter  all  our  dwellings."  Previous  to  their  departure,  an  Indian  chief 
selected  a  peace  pipe  from  among  his  warriors',  embellished  with  gorgeous 
plumage,  which  he  hung  around  the  neck  of  Marquette,  "the  mysterious 
arbiter  of  peace  and  war — the  sacred  calumet — the  white  man's  protection 
among  savages." 

On  reaching  their  boats,  the  little  group  proceeded  onward.  "  I  did  not," 
says  Marquette,  "  fear  death ;  I  should  have  esteemed  it  the  greatest  happiness 
to  have  died  for  the  glory  of  God."  They  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri, 
and  the  humble  missionary  resolved  in  his  mind,  one  day,  to  ascend  its 
mighty  current,  and  ascertain  its  source  ;  and  descending  from  thence  toward 
the  west,  publish  the  gospel  to  a  people  of  whom  he  had  never  heard. 

Passing  onward,  they  floated  by  the  Ohio,  then,  and  for  a  brief  time  after, 
called  the  Wabash,  and  continued  their  explorations  as  far  south  as  the  mouth 
of  the  Arkansas,  where  they  were  escorted  to  the  Indian  village  of  Arkansea. 
Being  now  satisfied  that  the  Mississippi  entered  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  west 
of  Florida,  and  east  of  California;  and  having  spoken  to  the  Indians  of  God  and 
the  mysteries  of  the  Catholic  faith,  Marquette  and  Joliet  prepared  to  ascend 
the  stream.  They  returned  by  the  route  of  the  Illinois  River  to  Green  Bay, 
where  they  arrived  in  August.  Marquette  remained  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
Miamies,  near  Chicago.  Joliet,  in  person,  conveyed  the  glad  tidings  of  their 
discoveries  to  Quebec.  They  were  received  with  enthusiastic  delight.  The 
bells  were  rung  during  the  whole  day,  and  all  the  clergy  and  dignitaries  of 
the  place  went,  in  procession,  to  the  Cathedral,  where  Te  Deum  was  sung 
and  high  mass  celebrated. 

Expedition  of  La  Salle. — Notwithstanding  the  great  excitement  produced 
by  this  event,  it  did  not  lead  immediately  to  any  farther  undertakings.  The 
good  Father  Marquette  dying  soon  after,  and  Joliet  being  otherwise  occupied, 
the  great  river  remained  unnoticed  in  the  wilderness,  and  its  discovery  seemed 
almost  forgotten,  when  attention  to  it  was  suddenly  revived  by  another 
enterprising  and  enthusiastic  Frenchman,  Robert  Cavalier  de  La  Salle, 
who  had  belonged  to  the  order  of  Jesuits.  Courageous,  enterprising  and 
persevering,  he  was  precisely  the  man  to  complete  the  undertaking  commenced 


THE  DORIC  ARCH.  LAKE  SUPERIOR, 

"la  excavated  in  the  form  of  a  common  arch,  giving  it  very  much  the 
appearance  of  a  vaulted  passage  into  the  court- yard  of  some  massy  pile 
of  antiquated  buildings  "  , 


39 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  41 

by  Marquette.  By  the  advice  of  Frontenac,  Governor  of  New  France,  he 
returned  to  France  and  obtained  from  Louis  XIV,  the  needed  assistance  to 
explore  the  Mississippi  to  its  mouth.  A  ship,  well  armed  and  supplied,  was 
equipped,  and  Tonti,  a  brave  Italian  officer,  having  joined  him  in  the 
enterprise,  they  set  sail  from  Rochelle,  June  14th,  1678.  La  Salle  had 
received  from  the  king,  the  command  of  Fort  Frontenac  and  a  monopoly  of 
the  fur  trade  in  all  the  countries  he  should  discover.  He  was  the  first 
person  who  proposed  the  union  of  New  France  with  the  Mississippi,  and 
suggested  their  close  connection  by  a  line  of  military  posts. 

Soon  after  his  arrival,  he  repaired  Fort  Frontenac,  and  built  another  fort 
in  its  vicinity,  and  had  constructed  a  vessel  on  Lake  Erie,  named  the  "Griffin," 
the  first  vessel  that  ever  spread  its  sails  on  those  waters.  In  September,  1769, 
he  embarked  with  forty  men,  among  whom  was  Father  Hennepin.  At 
Mackinaw,  La  Salle  erected  a  military  and  trading  post,  sold  his  goods  at  an 
immense  profit,  to  the  natives,  and  purchased  a  rich  cargo  of  furs,  which  were 
immediately  sent,  in  the  Griffin,  to  Niagara  for  disposal,  while  he  and  his 
companions  embarked,  in  bark  canoes,  for  the  river  St.  Joseph,  where  he 
erected  "the  Fort  of  the  Miamies."  There  they  were  met  by  Tonti,  who 
had  come  by  a  different  route.  Passing  over  to  the  Illinois  together,  and 
descending  with  the  current,  they  reached  the  Mississippi. 

La  Salle  first  resolved  to  ascend  that  stream,  hoping  thereby  to  discover 
the  supposed  passage  to  China,  and  deeming  it  also  advisable  to  attempt 
finding  an  easier  line  of  communication  between  Canada  and  this  important 
river.  Accordingly,  Father  Hennepin,  with  two  other  Frenchmen,  ascended 
the  river  to  beyond  the  falls,  which  they  named  St.  Anthony,  and  were  taken 
prisoners  by  the  Sioux:  they  were  well  treated — remained  about  three  months, 
and  then  returned  to  Canada.  In  the  meantime,  La  Salle  remained  among 
the  Illinois.  He  heard  no  tidings  of  the  Griffin,  which  was  lost.  All  his 
fortune  was  embarked  in  her.  He  commenced  building  a  fort  a  little  above 
Peoria,  and  thwarted  as  it  were  by  destiny,  and  writhing  in  agony,  he  named 
it  Crevecceur — that  is,  broken  hearted.  Additional  resources  now  being 
required  to  prosecute  his  voyage,  La  Salle  left  his  men  in  winter  quarters,  at 
the  fort,  and  with  but  three  companions,  penetrated  through  the  wilderness, 
on  foot,  amid  the  snows  of  winter,  to  Fort  Frontenac,  distant  1500  miles.  In 
his  absence,  Tonti  commenced  fortifying  Rock  Fort,  but  was  compelled  by 
the  invading  Iroquois  Indians,  to  seek  shelter  among  the  friendly  tribes  in  the 
vicinity  of  Chicago.  La  Salle  having  returned  with  men  and  materials  for 
building  a  bark,  left  Chicago  on  the  4th  of  January,  1682,  and  after 
constructing  a  spacious  barge  on  the  Illinois,  in  the  early  part  of  the  year,  he 
descended  "the  Mississippi  to  the  sea." 

This  was  the  first  descent  of  that  river  yet  achieved.  La  Salle  saw  at  once 
the  resources  of  the  mighty  valley ;  his  heart  dilated  with  joy,  and  after 
planting  the  arms  of  France  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  claiming  the  whole 
country  for  France,  he  named  it  in  honor  of  his  king,  Louisiana.  Elated  by 
his  discovery,  he  hastened  to  Quebec  and  immediately  sailed  for  France.  In 
1784,  he  left  France  with  two  hundred  and  eighty  persons,  intending  to  plant 
a  colony  on  the  lower  Mississippi.  By  mistake,  the  vessels  passed  by  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi  without  discovering  it,  and  La  Salle  was  compelled 
by  circumstances,  to  land  on  the  Bay  of  St.  Bernard,  where  he  erected  Fort 
St.  Louis,  and  took  possession  of  Texas  in  the  name  of  his  king.  He  spent 
four  months  in  a  vain  search  for  the  Mississippi.  Shortly  after  his  return, 
the  colony  was  threatened  with  famine.  La  Salle,  selecting  a  few  men, 
started  with  the  desperate  resolution  of  finding  Canada  or  perishing  in  the 
attempt,  but  was  murdered  by  one  of  his  companions  when  a  short  distance 


42  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

on  the  journey.  The  colonists  left  behind,  soon  after,  were  all  massacred  b\ 
the  Indians,  excepting  a  few  children.  The  death  of  La  Salle  put  an  end, 
for  a  time,  to  all  prospects  of  colonization..  The  peace  of  Ryswick,  in  1697, 
gave  France  leisure  to  attend  to  her  western  possessions,  and  Iberville  laid 
the  foundation  for  permanent  settlements  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi. 

SUFFERINGS  OF  THE  EARLY  FRENCH  MISSIONARIES  IN  THE  WEST. 

UPON  the  founding  of  Quebec  in  1608,  by  Champlain,  that  energetic  man 
saw,  that  to  strengthen  the  dominion  of  the  French  in  the  west,  it  was 
essential  to  establish  missions  among  the  Indians ;  influenced  also  by  religious 
zeal,  he  esteemed  "the  salvation  of  a  soul  worth  more  than  the  conquest  of  an 
empire."  Up  to  this  period,  the  "Far  West"  had  been  untrod  by  the  foot 
of  a  white  man.  In  1616,  four  years  previous  to  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims 
on  the  rocks  of  Plymouth,  Le  Caron,  a  French  Franciscan  monk,  had 
passed  through  the  Iroquois  and  Wyandot  nations  to  streams  running  into 
'Lake  Huron.  Bound  by  his  views  to  the  life  of  a  beggar,  he  traveled  on 
'foot  or  paddled  a  bark  canoe,  and  pursued  his  lonely  way,  taking  alms  of  the 
savages.  The  final  establishment  of  missions  was  intrusted  solely  to  "  the 
Society  of  Jesus."  The  Jesuits  in  Canada  had  been  disciplined  by  the 
severity  of  a  Canadian  life  in  the  wilderness,  and  resisted  its  horrors  by  an 
invincible  passive  courage  and  a  deep  internal  tranquillity.  Away  from  the 
amenities  of  life,  away  from  the  opportunities  of  vain  glory,  they  became  dead 
to  the  world,  while  the  few  who  long  survived  the  toils  of  their  protracted 
missions,  kindled  with  the  power  of  apostolic  zeal.  Not  a  town  of  note  was 
founded,  not  a  river  explored  in  French  America,  but  a  Jesuit  led  the  way. 

In  1634,  the  Jesuits,  Brebeuf  and  Daniel,  founded  the  mission  of  St. 
Joseph,  the  first  on  Lake  Huron.  Until  late  in  the  century,  such  was  the 
enmity  of  the  Iroquois  Indians,  excited  by  the  English  colonies,  that  the 
country  south  of  the  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie  was  unknown  to  the  French, 
and  the  adventurous  missionaries,  in  fear  of  death,  were  compelled  to  pass  far 
to  the  north,  through  a  region  "horrible  with  forests,"  by  the  Ottawa  and 
French  rivers  of  Canada  West,  suffering  innumerable  hardships,  compelled 
to  toil  all  day  long  at  the  oar,  or  drag  their  canoes  around  the  waterfalls,  their 
feet  pierced  with  sharp  stones,  their  garments  torn ;  often  having  but  scanty 
food,  and  their  couch,  the  earth  or  rocks.  At  St.  Joseph,  Brebeuf  and 
Daniel  erected  their  little  chapel,  and  soon  after,  two  new  missions,  St.  Louis 
and  St.  Ignatius,  bloomed  among  the  Huron  forests.  There,  the  Huron 
hunter,  as  he  returned  from  his  wide  roamings,  was  taught  to  hope  for  eternal 
rest,  and  dusky  warriors,  in  pious  veneration,  joining  in  the  mystic  rites  of  the 
Catholic  church,  uttered  prayers  and  vows  in  the  Huron  tongue. 

Within  thirteen  years,  this  remote  wilderness  was  visited  by  sixty 
missionaries;  chosen  men,  ready  to  shed  their  blood  for  their  fatth.  In  1641, 
Raymbault  and  Jogues  visited  the  Indians  at  the  falls  of  St.  Mary's,  at  the 
outlet  of  Lake  Superior;  this  was  five  years  before  the  New  England  Elliot 
had  addressed  the  Indians  that  dwelt  within  six  miles  of  Boston  harbor.  Ere 
the  close  of  the  century,  missionary  stations  had  multiplied  greatly  upon  the 
water  courses  and  lakes  of  the  west.  The  missionaries  themselves  possessed 
the  weakness  and  the  virtues  of  their  orders.  For  fifteen  years  enduring  the 
infinite  labors  and  perils  of  the  Huron  mission,  and  exhibiting,  as  it  was 
said,  "an  absolute  pattern  of  every  religious  virtue,"  Jean  de  Brebeuf, 
respecting  even  the  nod  of  his  distant  superiors,  lowered  his  mind  and 
judgment  in  obedience.  Beside  the  assiduous  fatigues  of  his  office,  each  day, 


BURNING  OF  FRENCH  MISSIONARIES. 

"  The  assured  countenance  and  confiding  eye  of  Brebeuf  still  bore 
witness  to  his  firmness.  The  voice  of  Lallemand  was  choked  by  the 
thick  smoke ;  but  the  fire  having  snapped  his  bands,  he  liftea  his 
hands  to  Heaven,  imploring  the  aid  of  Him  who  is  an  aid  to  the 
weak." 


t 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  45 

and  sometimes  twice  in  the  day,  he  applied  himself  to  the  lash ;  beneath  a 
bristling  hair  shirt,  he  wore  an  iron  girdle,  armed  on  all  sides  with  projecting 
points;  his  fasts  were  frequent;  almost  always  his  pious  vigils  continued  deep 
in  the  night.  In  vain  for  him  did  Nature  assume  its  forms  of  beauty ;  his  eye 
rested  benignantly  on  divine  things.  Once,  imparadised  in  a  trance,  he  beheld 
the  mother  of  him  whose  cross  he  bore,  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  virgins,  in 
the  beatitudes  of  Heaven.  Once,  as  he  himself  has  recorded,  while  engaged 
in  penance,  he  saw  Christ  unfold  his  arms  to  embrace  him  with  the  utmost 
love,  promising  oblivion  for  his  sins.  Once,  late  at  night,  while  praying  in 
silence,  he  had  a  vision  of  an  infinite  number  of  crosses,  and  with  mighty 
heart,  he  strove  again  and  again  to  grasp  them  all.  Often  he  saw  the  shapes 
of  foul  fiends,  now  appearing  as  madmen,  now  as  raging  beasts ;  and  often 
he  beheld  the  image  of  Death,  a  bloodless  form,  by  the  side  of  the  stake, 
struggling  with  bonds,  and  at  last,  falling  as  a  harmless  specter  at  his  feet. 
Having  vowed  to  seek  out  suffering  for  the  greater  glory  of  God,  he 
renewed  that  vow  every  day,  at  the  moment  of  tasting  the  sacred  water ;  and 
as  his  cupidity  for  martyrdom  grew  into  a  passion,  he  exclaimed,  "  What  shall 
I  render  to  ttiee,  Jesus,  my  Lord,  for  all  thy  benefits?  I  will  accept  thy  cup 
and  invoke  thy  name ;"  and  in  sight  of  the  Eternal  Father  and  the  Holy 
Spirit,  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  most  holy  mother  of  Christ,  before  angels,  saints, 
apostles  and  martyrs,  he  made  a  vow  never  to  decline  the  opportunity  of 
martyrdom,  and  never  to  receive  the  death-blow  but  with  joy. 

The  Jesuit  missionaries  suffered  terribly  from  the  Iroquois  Indians,  the 
hereditary  enemies  of  the  Hurons.  Isaac  Jogues,  on  his  way  to  St.  Mary's, 
was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Mohawks,  on  the  St.  Lawrence.  He  might  have 
escaped,  but  there  were  with  him  converts  that  had  not  yet  been  baptized, — 
and  when  did  a  Jesuit  missionary  seek  to  save  his  own  life  at  what  he  believed 
the  risk  of  a  soul?  In  several  villages  he  was  compelled  to  run  the  gauntlet, 
and  was  tortured  with  hunger  and  thirst.  Similar  was  the  fate  of  Father 
Bressani.  Taken  prisoner  while  on  his  way  to  the  Hurons;  beaten,  mangled, 
mutilated,  driven  bare-footed  over  rough  paths,  through  briers  and  thickets ; 
scourged  by  a  whole  village  ;  burned,  tortured,  wounded  and  scarred, — he  was 
eye-witness  to  the  fate  of  one  of  his  companions,  who  was  boiled  and  eaten. 
Yet  some  mysterious  awe  protected  his  life,  and  he,  as  well  as  Jogues,  was 
humanely  rescued  by  the  Dutch.  The  devoted  missionaries  encountered 
danger  and  suffering  in  every  form ;  from  the  perils  of  nature  as  well  as  the 
inhumanity  of  savages.  Some  were  drowned  on  their  way  to  their  missions  ; 
some  starved  to  death;  others,  losing  their  way  among  pathless  snows,  perished 
by  intense  cold. 

Eventually  each  solitary  mission  among  the  Hurons  became  a  special  point 
of  attraction  to  the  invading  Iroquois,  and  liable  to  the  horrors  of  an  Indian 
massacre.  Such  was  the  fate  of  the  village  of  St.  Joseph.  On  the  morning 
of  July  4th,  1648,  when  the  warriors  were  absent  on  a  chase,  the  village  was 
attacked  by  the  Mohawks.  A  group  of  women  and  children  flew  to  the 
missionary,  Father  Anthony  Daniel,  to  escape  the  tomahawk,  as  if  his  lips, 
uttering  messages  of  love,  could  pronounce  a  spell  that  would  curb  the 
madness  of  destruction.  Those  who  had  formerly  scoffed  at  his  mission, 
implored  the  benefit  of  baptism.  He  bade  them  ask  forgiveness  of  God,  and 
dipping  his  handkerchief  in  water,  baptized  the  crowd  of  suppliants.  Just  then 
the  palisades  were  forced.  But  instead  of  flying,  he  ran  to  the  wigwams  to 
baptize  the  sick,  give  absolution,  and  then,  when  the  wigwams  were  set  on 
fire  and  the  Mohawks  approached  his  chapel,  he  serenely  advanced  to  resign 
his  life  as  a  sacrifice  to  his  vows.  As  they  drew  near,  they  discharged  at 
him  a  flight  of  arrows.  All  gashed  and  rent  with  wounds,  he  addressed  to 
6 


46  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

them,  with  surprising  energy,  the  affectionate  messages  of  Divine  mercy  and 
grace.  The  fatal  blow  was  given — the  name  of  Jesus  died  on  his  lips — the 
wilderness  gave  him  a  grave,  and  the  Huron  nation  were  his  mourners. 

The  next  year,  the  villages  of  St.  Ignatius  and  St.  Louis  were  destroyed 
by  the  Iroquois.  In  this  last,  were  Brebeuf  and  Lallemand.  They  might 
both  have  escaped ;  but  they  remained  to  bend  over  the  dying  converts  and 
give  them  baptism.  They  were  taken  prisoners.  Brebeuf  was  set  apart  on 
a  scaffold,  and  in  the  midst  of  every  outrage,  rebuked  his  persecutors  and 
encouraged  his  Huron  converts.  They  cut  on  his  lower  lip  and  nose;  applied 
burning  torches  to  his  body  ;  burned  his  gums  and  thrust  hot  iron  down  his 
throat.  Deprived  of  his  voice,  his  assured  countenance  and  confiding  eye 
still  bore  witness  to  his  firmness.  The  delicate  Lallemand  was  stripped 
naked,  and  enveloped  from  head  to  foot  with  bark  full  of  rosin.  Brought  into 
the  presence  of  Brebeuf,  he  exclaimed,  "  We  are  made  a  spectacle  unto  the 
world,  and  to  angels  and  to  men."  The  fine  bark  was  set  on  fire,  and  when 
it  was  in  a  blaze,  boiling  water  was  poured  on  the  heads  of  both  the 
missionaries.  The  voice  of  Lallemand  was  choked  by  the  thick  smoke  ;  but 
the  fire  having  snapped  his  bonds,  he  lifted  his  hands  to  Heaven,  imploring 
the  aid  of  Him  who  is  an  aid  to  the  weak.  Brebeuf  was  scalped  while  yet 
alive,  and  died  after  a  torture  of  three  hours ;  the  sufferings  of  Lallemand 
were  protracted  for  seventeen  hours.  The  lives  of  both  had  been  a  continual 
heroism ;  their  deaths  were  the  astonishment  of  their  executioners. 

These  massacres  quenched  not  enthusiasm;  the  Jesuits  never  receded 
one  foot ;  but,  as  in  a  brave  army,  new  troops  press  forward  to  fill  the  places 
of  the  fallen,  there  were  never  wanting  heroism  and  enterprise  in  behalf  of 
the  cross  and  French  dominion. 


CURIOSITIES  AT  MICHILIMACKINAC. 

NOTHING  can  present  a  more  picturesque  and  refreshing  spectacle  to  the 
traveler,  wearied  with  the  lifeless  monotony  of  a  voyage  through  Lake 
Huron,  than  the  first  sight  of  the  island  of  Michilimackinac,  which  rises 
from  the  watery  horizon  in  lofty  bluffs,  imprinting  a  rugged  outline  along  the 
sky,  and  capped  with  a  fortress  on  which  the  American  flag  is  seen  waving 
against  the  blue  heavens.  The  name  is  a  compound  of  the  word  missi  or 
missil,  signifying  "great,"  and  mackinac,  the  Indian  word  for  "turtle,"  from 
a  fancied  resemblance  of  the  island  to  a  great  turtle  lying  upon  the  water. 

It  is  a  spot  of  much  interest,  aside  from  its  romantic  beauty,  in  conse- 
quence of  its  historical  associations  and  natural  curiosities.  It  is  nine  miles 
in  circumference,  and  its  extreme  elevation  above  the  Lake  over  three  hun- 
dred feet.  The  town  is  pleasantly  situated  around  a  small  bay  at  the  south- 
ern extremity  of  the  island,  and  contains  a  few  hundred  souls,  which  are  some- 
times swelled  to  one  or  two  thousand  by  the  influx  of  voyageurs,  traders, 
and  Indians.  On  these  occasions,  its  beautiful  harbor  is  seen  checkered  with 
American  vessels  at  anchor,  and  Indian  canoes  rapidly  shooting  across  the 
water  in  every  direction.  It  was  formerly  the  seat  of  an  extensive  fur  trade; 
at  present  it  is  noted  for  the  great  amount  of  trout  and  white  fish  annually 
exported.  Fort  Mackinac  stands  on  a  rocky  bluff  overlooking  the  town. 
The  ruins  of  Fort  Holmes  are  on  the  apex  of  the  Island.  It  was  built  by 
the  British  in  the  war  of  1812,  under  the  name  of  Fort  George,  and  changed 
to  its  present  appellation  after  the  surrender  to  the  Americans,  in  compliment 
to  the  memory  of  Major  Holmes,  who  fell  in  the  attack  upon  the  island. 

The  old  town  of  Michilimackinac  stood  on  the  extreme  point  of  the  Penirv- 


THE  ARCHED  ROCK,  AT  MACKINAW. 

"It  it  about  ninety  feet  in  height,  and  is  crowned  with  an  arch  ef  near  sixty  feet 
••weep.  From  its  great  elevation,  the  view  through  the  arch,  upon  th«  wide  ex- 
panse of  water  is  of  singular  beauty  and  grandeur." 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  49 

sula  of  Michigan,  nine  miles  south  of  the  island.  Eight  years  before  La 
Salle's  expedition,  Father  Marquette,  the  French  missionary,  visited  this  spot 
with  a  party  of  Hurons,  upon  whom  he  prevailed  to  locate  themselves.  A  tort 
was  soon  constructed,  and  it  became  an  important  post.  It  continued  to  be 
the  seat  of  the  fur  trade,  and  the  undisturbed  rendezvous  of  the  Indian  tribes 
during  the  whole  period  that  the  crown  of  France  exercised  jurisdiction  over 
the  Canadas. 

The  island  of  Michilimackinac,  or  Mackinaw,  contains  three  objects  of 
natural  curiosity.  The  Arched  Rock  is  a  natural  arch  projecting  from  the 
precipice  on  the  north-eastern  side  of  the  island,  about  a  mile  from  the  town, 
and  elevated  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  above  the  water.  Its  abutments  are 
the  calcareous  rock  common  to  the  island,  and  have  been  created  by  the 
falling  down  of  enormous  masses  of  the  rock,  leaving  the  chasm.  It  is  about 
ninety  feet  in  height,  and  is  crowned  with  an  arch  of  near  sixty  feet  sweep. 
From  its  great  elevation,  the  view  through  the  arch  upon  the  wide  expanse 
of  water,  is  of  singular  beauty  and  grandeur.  The  Natural  Pyramid  is  a 
lone  standing  rock,  upon  the  top  of  the  bluff,  of  probably  thirty  feet  in 
width  at  the  base,  by  eighty  or  ninety  in  height,  of  a  rugged  appearance,  and 
supporting  in  its  crevices  a  few  stunted  cedars.  It  pleases  chiefly  by  its 
novelty,  so  unlike  anything  to  be  found  in  other  parts  of  the  world ;  and  in 
first  approaching  it,  gives  the  idea  of  a  work  of  art.  The  Skull  Rock  is 
chiefly  noted  for  a  cavern,  which  appears  to  have  been  an  ancient  receptacle 
3f  human  bones.  The  entrance  is  low  and  narrow.  It  is  here  that  Alexan- 
der Henry  was  secreted  by  a  friendly  Indian,  after  the  horrid  massacre  of 
;he  British  garrison  at  old  Michilimackinac,  in  1763. 


LIFE  AMONG  THE  PRAIRIE  DOGS. 

THE  prairie  dog,  like  the  buffalo,  retreats  before  the  advance  of  civilization, 
md  is  now  to  be  found  only  on  the  vast  plains  between  the  Mississippi  and 
;he  Rocky  Mountains.  A  recent  traveler  gives  the  annexed  description  of 
;hese  singular  animals  and  their  cities,  which,  unknown  to  map  makers, 
lot  the  immense  prairies  of  the  far  west. 

These  little  fellows  select  for  their  towns  a  level  piece  of  prairie,  with  a 
sandy  or  gravelly  soil,  out  of  which  they  can  excavate  their  dwellings  with 
rreat  facility.  Being  of  a  very  sociable  disposition,  they  choose  to  live  in 
i  large  community,  where  laws  exist  for  the  public  good ;  and  there  is  less 
langer  to  be  apprehended  from  the  attacks  of  their  numerous  and  crafty  en- 
jmies.  Their  towns  equal  in  extent  and  population  the  largest  cities  of  Eu- 
•ope;  some  extending  many  miles  in  length,  with  considerable  regularity  in 
heir  streets,  and  their  houses  of  a  uniform  style  of  architecture.  Although 
;heir  form  of  government  may  be  styled  republican,  yet  great  respect  is  paid 
o  their  chief  magistrate,  who,  generally  a  dog  of  large  dimensions,  and  im- 
>osing  appearance,  resides  in  a  dwelling  conspicuous  for  size,  in  the  center  of 
he  town,  where  he  may  always  be  seen  on  his  house  top,  regarding  with 
li<mified  complacency  the  various  occupations  of  the  busy  population — some 
ndustriously  bearing  to  the  granaries  the  winter  supply  of  roots,  others 
)uilding  or  repairing  their  houses ;  while  many,  their  work  being  over,  sit 
chatting  on  their  house  tops,  watching  the  gambols  of  the  juveniles  as  they 
)lay  around  them.  • 

Their  hospitality  to  strangers  is  unbounded.  The  owl,  who  on  the  bare 
)rairie  is  unable  to  find  a  tree  or  rock  on  which  to  build  her  nest,  is  provided 
>vith  a  comfortable  lodging,  where  she  may  in  security  rear  her  round  eyed 


50  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

progeny ;  and  the  rattlesnake,  in  spite  of  his  bad  character,  is  likewise  enter- 
tained with  similar  hospitality;  yet  it  is  sometimes  grossly  abused;  for  many 
a  childless  dog  may,  perhaps,  justly  attribute  his  bereavement  to  the  partiality 
of  the  epicurean  snake  for  the  tender  meat  of  the  delicate  prairie  pup. 

The  prairie  dog,  a  species  of  Marmot,  is  somewhat  longer  than  a  Guinea 
pig,  of  a  light  brown  or  sandy  color,  and  with  a  head  somewhat  resembling 
that  of  a  young  terrier  pup.  It  is  also  furnished  with  a  little  stumpy  tail, 
which,  when  its  owner  is  excited,  is  in  a  perpetual  jerk  and  flutter.  Fre- 
quently, while  hunting,  have  I,  lying  concealed  beneath  one  of  their  conical 
houses,  amused  myself  for  hours  in  watching  their  frolicksome  motions.  Their 
dwellings  are  raised  two  or  three  feet  above  the  ground,  and  at  the  top  is  a 
hole  three  feet  in  perpendicular  depth,  and  then  descending  obliquely  into 
the  interior.  Of  course,  on  the  approach  of  such  a  monster  as  man,  all  the 
dogs  which  have  been  scattered  over  the  town,  scamper  to  their  holes  as  fast 
as  their  little  legs  will  admit,  and  concealing  all  but  their  heads  and  tails, 
bark  lustily  their  displeasure  at  the  intrusion.  When  they  have  sufficiently 
exhibited  their  daring,  every  dog  dives  into  his  burrow,  but  two  or  three, 
who  remain  as  sentinels,  chattering  in  high  dudgeon,  until  the  enemy  is 
within  a  few  paces  of  them,  when  they  take  the  usual  somerset,  and  the  town 
is  silent  and  deserted.  Lying  perfectly  still  for  several  minutec,  I  could  ob- 
serve an  old  fellow  raise  his  head  cautiously  above  his  hole  and  reconnoiter 
and  if  satisfied  that  the  coast  was  clear,  he  would  commence  a  short  bark. 
This  bark,  by  the  way,  from  its  resemblance  to  that  of  a  dog,  has  given  that 
name  to  the  little  animal,  but  it  is  more  like  that  of  a  wooden  toy  dog,  which 
is  made  to  bark  by  raising  and  depressing  the  bellows  under  the  fissure. 
When  this  warning  has  been  given,  others  are  soon  seen  to  emerge  from  their 
houses,  and,  assured  of  their  security,  play  and  frisk  about.  After  a  longer 
delay,  rattlesnakes  issue  from  their  holes,  and  coil  themselves  on  the  sunny 
side  of  the  hillock,  erecting  their  treacherous  heads,  and  rattling  an  angry 
note  of  warning  if,  in  its  play,  a  thoughtless  pup  approaches  too  near;  and 
lastly  a  sober  owl  appears,  and  if  the  sun  be  low,  hops  through  the  town, 
picking  up  the  lizards  and  chameleons  which  everywhere  abound. 

At  the  first  intimation  of  danger  given  by  the  sentinels,  jal)  the  stragglers 
hasten  to  their  holes,  tumbling  over  owls  and  rattlesnakes,  who  hiss  and 
rattle  angrily  at  being  disturbed.  Every  one  scrambles  off  to  his  own 
domicil,  and  if  in  his  hurry  he  should  mistake  his  dwelling,  he  is  quickly 
made  sensible  of  his  error,  and  without  ceremony  ejected.  Then,  every 
house  occupied,  commences  such  a  volley  of  barking,  and  such  a  twinkling 
of  little  heads  and  tails,  which  alone  appear  above  the  holes,  as  to  defy 
description.  The  lazy  snakes,  regardless  of  danger,  remain  coiled  up,  ana 
only  evince  their  consciousness  by  an  occasional  rattle ;  while  the  owls,  in 
the  hurry  and  confusion,  betake  themselves  with  sluggish  wing,  to  wherever 
a  bush  of  sage  or  greasewood  affords  them  temporary  concealment. 

The  prairie  dog  leads  a  life  of  constant  alarm,  and  numerous  enemies  are 


ever  on  the  watch  to  surprise  him.     The  hawk  and  the  eagle,  hovering  high 


turtirs,  until  an  unlucky  straggler  approaches  within  reach  of  his  murderous 
dping.  In  the  winter,  when  the  prairie  dog,  snug  in  his  subterranean  abode, 
and  with  granaries  well  filled,  never  cares  to  expose  his  little  nose  to  the  icy 
blasts  which  sweep  across  the  plains,  but  between  eating  and  sleeping,  passes 
merrily  the  long  frozen  winter,  he  is  often  roused  from  his  warm  bed,  and 
almost  covealed  with  terror  while  hearing  the  snorting  yelp  of  the  naif- 


A   TOWN   OF  PRAIRIE    DOGS. 

"Their  towns  equal  in  extent  and  population  the  largest  cities  of  Europe;  some  ex- 
tending many  miles  in  length,  with  considerable  regularity  in  their  streets,  and  theii 
houses  of  a  uniform  style  of  architecture. "--PAOF.  66. 


I 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  gg 

%mished  wolf,  who,  mad  with  hunger,  assaults  with  tooth  and  claw,  the  frost- 
bound  roof  of  his  house,  and  with  almost  superlupine  strength,  hurls  down 
the  well  cemented  walls,  tears  up  the  passages,  plunges  his  cold  nose  into  the 
very  chambers,  snorts  into  them  with  ravenous  anxiety,  and  drives  the  poor 
little  trembling  inmate  into  the  most  remote  corners,  too  often  to  be  dragged 
forth  and  unhesitatingly  devoured.  The  rattlesnake,  too,  I  fear,  is  not  the 
welcome  guest  he  reports  himself  to  be ;  for  I  have  often  slain  the  wily  ser- 
pent with  a  belly  too  much  protuberant  to  be  either  healthy  or  natural,  and 
bearing  in  its  outline  a  very  strong  resemblance  to  the  figure  of  a  prairie  dog. 


THE  MISSISSIPPI  BUBBLE. 

Louis  XIV  having,  by  his  extravagance,  and  by  frequent  expensive  and 
unprofitable  wars,  created  a  debt  of  three  thousand  millions  of  livres,  and  by 
so  doing,  laid  a  foundation  broad  and  deep,  for  the  wide-spread  ruin  that  fol- 
lowed, died  at  Versailles,  on  the  first  of  September,  1715,  in  the  seventy- 
eighth  year  of  his  age,  and  the  seventy -third  of  his  reign.  He  was  succeeded 
by  his  grandson,  Louis  XV,  then  a  child  five  years  old,  of  a  feeble  and  deli- 
cate constitution ;  and  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  a  nephew  of  the  late  king,  not- 
withstanding his  dissolute  morals,  and  his  proximity  to  the  throne,  against 
the  will  of  the  great  monarch,  became  Regent  of  France. 

The  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  including  Illinois,  was  at  that  time  held 
and  occupied  by  Crozat,  under  a  grant  made  by  Louis  XIV,  in  1712.  The 
little  barter  between  the  inhabitants  of  Louisiana  and  the  natives,  insignifi- 
cant as  it  was,  and  the  petty  trade  between  the  French  and  the  other  Eu- 
ropean settlements  in  their  vicinity,  was  rendered  almost  profitless  by  the 
fatal  monopoly  of  the  Parisian  merchant.  The  Indians  were  too  numerous 
and  too  powerful  to  be  controlled  by  his  factors.  The  English  had  monopo- 
lized already  a  portion  of  the  Indian  trade.  Every  Spanish  harbor  on  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  had  been  closed  against  his  vessels,  and  every  Frenchman  in 
Louisiana  was  not  only  hostile  to  his  interest,  but  was  aiding  and  assisting 
to  foment  difficulties  in  the  colony.  Crozat's  retrocession,  therefore,  of  Lou- 
isiana to  the  crown,  in  1717,  was  the  result  of  necessity,  as  well  as  choice. 

The  misfortunes  of  La  Salle,  the  ill  success  of  Iberville  and  Crozat,  were 
still  remembered,  and  the  bones  of  deceased  emigrants,  who  had  sought  the 
Mississippi  as  their  homes,  still  whitened  its  valley;  yet  visions  of  untold 
wealth,  existing  somewhere  on  its  tributary  waters,  were  again  revived;  and 
mines  of  silver  and  gold,  plantations  of  indefinite  extent  and  surpassing  beauty, 
towns  and  cities,  commerce  and  the  arts,  again  invoked  to  replenish  an  ex- 
hausted treasury,  and  preserve,  if  possible,  a  sinking  empire.  Hence  the 
Mississippi  scheme,  or  Bubble,  as  it  sometimes  is  termed. 

John  Law,  the  projector  of  this  scheme,  was  born  at  Edinburgh,  Scotland, 
in  1761.  At  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  was  received  into  his  father's  counting- 
house,  in  Edinburgh,  as  a  clerk,  and  for  about  three  years  labored  assiduously 
at  his  desk.  His  father's  occupation  was  that  of  a  goldsmith  and  banker.  By 
his  death,  in  1688,  a  considerable  fortune  descended  to  this,  his  only  son,  who,  at 
the  early  age  of  seventeen,  sallied  forth,  without  rudder  or  compass,  into  a  wide 
tumultuous,  and  deceitful  world. 

Young,  vain,  good-looking,  tolerably  rich,  and  unrestrained,  he  proceeded 
to  London,  where  he  frequented  the  most  fashionable  gaming-houses,  and 
pursuing  on  all  occasions  a  certain  plan,  based  on  abstruse  calculations,  he 
won  considerable  money,  and  gamblers  envied  his  luck. 


54  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

In  gallantry  he  was  equally  fortunate,  and  ladies  of  exalted  rank  smiled 
graciously  upon  the  handsome  Scotchman. 

Success,  however,  soon  paved  the  way  for  reverses,  and  as  the  love  of  play 
increased  in  violence,  it  diminished  in  prudence.  Great  losses  could  only  be 
repaired  by  greater  ventures,  and  notwithstanding  his  long  experience,  at  the 
close  of  an  unlucky  day,  he  lost  everything  he  had.  Goods,  chattels,  credit, 
money,  and  character,  even  the  patrimony  now  his  by  a  father's  bounty. 

His  gallantry,  at  the  same  time,  led  him  into  serious  difficulty,  and  a  love 
affair,  a  slight  flirtation  with  a  Miss  Villars,  afterward  the  Countess  of  Ork- 
ney, exposed  him  to  the  resentment  of  a  Mr.  Wilson,  by  whom  he  was 
challenged  to  fight  a  duel.  He  accepted  the  challenge,  killed  his  antagonist 
on  the  spot,  was  arrested  the  same  day,  and  soon  thereafter  was  indicted  for 
murder,  tried,  found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  be  hanged.  This  sentence  was 
afterward  commuted  for  a  fine,  upon  the.  ground  that  the  offense  amounted 
only  to  manslaughter.  An  appeal  was  entered  by  the  brother  of  the  deceased, 
and  the  prisoner  detained  in  jail,  from  whence  he  escaped  and  fled  to  the 
Continent. 

For  about  three  years  he  traversed  the  Continent,  devoting  his  mornings 
to  the  study  of  finance  and  the  principles  of  trade,  and  his  evenings  to  the 
gaming-house,  and  returned  to  Edinburgh  in  1700,  where  he  issued  proposals 
for  establishing  a  council  of  trade — they  excited,  however,  but  little  attention. 

Having  failed  in  every  project  he  attempted  in  Scotland,  and  his  efforts  to 
procure  a  pardon  for  the  murder  of  Wilson,  having  proved  abortive,  he  with- 
drew to  the  Continent  to  resume  his  occupation  as  a  gambler,  and  to  become 
the  friend  and  the  companion  of  princes.  For  fourteen  years  he  roamed 
about  Flanders,  Holland,  Germany,  Hungary,  Italy  and  France,  supporting 
himself  by  successful  play.  During  that  period  he  studied  the  European 
character,  became  acquainted  with  the  trade  and  resources  of  those  nations 
through  which  he  wandered,  and  was  daily  more  and  more  convinced,  that 
no  country  could  prosper  without  a  paper  currency.  At  every  gambling. 
house  of  note,  in  almost  every  capital  in  Europe,  he  was  more  known  and  ap- 
preciated in  the  doctrines  of  chance  than  any  other.  Having  been  expelled  first 
from  France,  and  afterward  from  Genoa,  by  the  magistrates,  who  thought 
him  a  dangerous  visitor,  he  repaired  to  Paris,  where  he  became  obnoxious  to 
the  police,  and  was  ordered  to  quit  the  capital.  He  had  made,  however,  the 
acquaintance  of  the  gay  Duke  of  Orleans,  who  promised  to  become  his  patron. 
Louis  XIV  then  occupied  the  throne.  Law  proposed  his  scheme  of  finance 
to  the  comptroller  of  the  public  funds,  who  was  asked  by  the  king  if  the  pro- 
projector  was  a  Catholic,  and  being  answered  in  the  negative,  Louis  XIV 
declined  his  services. 

His  scheme  was  next  proposed  to  the  reigning  Duke  of  Savoy,  who  at 
once  told  the  projector  that  his  dominions  were  too  limited  for  the  execution 
of  so  great  a  project,  and  that  he  was  too  poor  a  potentate  to  be  ruined ;  that 
he  had  no  doubt,  however,  but  the  French  people,  if  he  knew  anything  of 
their  character,  would  be  delighted  with  a  plan  so  new  and  so  plausible,  and 
advised  him  to  go  to  France.  Louis  XIV  being  now  in  his  grave,  and  an 
infant  on  the  throne,  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  a  friend  and  patron  of  Law, 
assumed  the  reins  of  government  as  regent  of  France. 

The  extravagances  of  the  former  monarch  had  thrown  the  national  finances 
into  the  utmost  disorder,  and  France  was  on  the  brink  of  ruin,  when  John 
Law  presented  himself  at  court,  and  was  cordially  received.  He  insisted, 
that  all  the  evils  which  had  befallen  France  were  owing,  not  to  the  improvi- 
dence, extravagance,  or  the  malversation  of  those  who  had  been,  or  were  then 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  66 

in  power,  but  to  an  insufficient  currency.  That  the  specie  of  France,  unaided 
by  paper  money,  was  inadequate  to  its  wants,  and  cited  England  and  Holland 
as  examples.  He  thereupon  proposed  to  set  up  a  bank,  which  should  have 
the  management  of  the  royal  revenues,  and  issue  notes  on  that  and  landed 
security.  That  it  should  be  administered  in  the  king's  name,  and  be  subject 
to  the  control  of  commissioners,  to  be  appointed  by  the  States  General. 

On  the  5th  of  May,  1716,  a  royal  edict  was  published,  by  which  Law 
and  his  brother  were  authorized  to  establish  a  bank,  with  a  capital  of  six 
millions  of  livres,  the  notes  of  which  should  be  received  in  the  payment  of 
taxes.  They  were  issued,  payable  at  sight,  and  in  the  coin  current  at  the 
time  they  were  issued.  This  last  was  a  master  stroke  of  policy,  and  imme- 
diately rendered  his  notes  more  valuable  than  the  precious  metals.  The  cap- 
ital consisted  of  one-fourth  specie,  and  three-fourths  State  securities.  The 
stock  was,  of  course,  immediately  subscribed.  A  thousand  livres  of  silver 
might  be  worth  their  nominal  value  one  day,  and  one-fifth  less  the  next;  but 
a  note  of  Law's  bank  retained  its  original  value.  Law,  in  the  meantime, 
publicly  declared,  that  a  banker  deserved  death  who  made  issues  without 
the  means  for  their  redemption.  The  consequence  was,  that  the  note  shortly 
commanded  a  premium  of  "fifteen  per  cent,"  while  the  notes  issued  by  gov- 
ernment, as  security  for  debts  contracted  by  the  extravagance  of  Louis  XIV, 
were  at  seventy-eight  and  a  half  per  cent,  discount. 

The  contrast  was  so  great,  that  Law's  credit  rapidly  extended  itself,  and 
branches  of  his  bank  were  at  the  same  time  established  in  Lyons,  Rochelle, 
Tours,  Amiens,  and  Orleans.  The  regent  became  astonished  at  its  success; 
and  paper  money,  which  could  thus  aid  metallic  currency,  it  was  thought, 
could  supersede  it  altogether.  On  this  fundamental  error,  both  the  regent 
and  the  French  people,  simultaneously  acted. 

Law,  whose  influence  was  now  irresistible,  next  proposed  his  famous 
Mississippi  scheme.  This  became  afterward  a  connecting  link  between  his 
history  and  ours,  and  rendered  his  name  immortal. 

Letters  patent  were  issued  in  1717,  to  establish  a  trading  company  to  the 
Mississippi,  known  at  first  as  the  Western  Company,  to  be  divided  into  two 
hundred  thousand  shares,  of  five  hundred  livres  each.  Its  capital  to  be 
composed  of  State  securities  at  par;  a  hundred  millions  of  the  most  depreciated 
stocks  were  thus  absorbed,  and  the  Government»became  indebted  to  a  company, 
of  its  own  creation,  instead  of  individuals,  for  that  amount.  Through  a  bank 
previously  established  by  Law,  the  interest  m  this  portion  of  the  public  debt 
was  punctually  paid,  in  consequence  whereof,  an  immediate  rise  in  its  value 
took  place,  from  a  depreciation  of  seventy-eight  and  a  half  per  cent,  to  par. 
The  person,  therefore,  who  had  purchased  a  hundred  livres  of  State  debts, 
which  he  could  have  done  at  any  time  for  twenty-one  and  a  half  livres,  and 
invested  it  in  stocks  of  the  Western  Company,  was  now  enabled  to  realize  in 
cash,  one  hundred  livres  for  his  investment.  Large  fortunes  were  thus  speedily 
acquired.  Although  the  union  of  the  bank  with  the  risks  and  responsibilities 
of  a  commercial  company,  was  ominous  of  its  future  destiny ;  the  interest  of 
its  capital  for  one  year,  having  been  paid — not  from  its  profits,  for  none  had 
yet  accrued,  but  from  other  sources,  all  of  them  fictitious — public  credit  was 
apparently  restored,  as  if  by  a  miracle. 

Crozat  having  resigned  the  commerce  of  Louisiana,  it  was  transferred 
immediately  to  the  Western  Company,  and  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi 
inflamed  at  once  the  public  mind.  The  whole  of  Fra'uce  saw,  in  prospect, 
its  future  glory,  and  beheld  the  opulence  of  coming  ages  already  in  their 
grasp. 

On  the  25th  of  August,  1717,  eight  hundred  emigrants  arrived  in  three 


56  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

vessels,  and  cast  anchor  near  Dauphin  Island,  instead  of  ascending  the 
Mississippi.  They  there  disembarked;  some  perished  for  want  of  enterprise, 
some  for  want  of  food,  some  from  the  climate,  and  some  prospered  exceedingly. 
Hardy  emigrants  from  Canada  resorted  thither,  and  these,  by  their  enterprise, 
were  more  successful  than  any  other  colonists.  The  city  of  New  Orleans 
was  immediately  founded  among  cane-brakes,  and  named  after  the  dissolute 
regent,  who  "denied  God,  and  trembled  at  a  star." 

Law's  bank,  in  the  meantime,  had  wrought  such  wonders  in  France,  that 
new  privileges  were  conferred  upon  it  daily.  It  monopolized  the  tobacco 
trade  ;  it  monopolized,  also,  the  slave  trade ;  for  the  French  colonies,  it 
enjoyed  the  right  pf  refining  gold  and  silver;  and  was  finally,  in  January,  1717, 
erected  into  the  royal  bank  of  France.  The  Western  or  Mississippi  Company, 
was  also  merged  into  the  "  Company  of  the  Indies,"  and  new  shares  of  its 
stocks  were  created,  and  sold  at  an  enormous  profit. 

The  Company  of  the  Indies  being  now  connected  with  the  royal  bank  of 
France,  its  first  attempts  at  colonization  were  conducted  with  careless  prodi- 
gality. To  entice  emigrants  thither,  the  richest  prairies,  the  most  inviting 
fields  in  the  whole  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  were  conceded  to  companies,  or 
individuals  who  sought  principalities  in  America.  An  extensive  prairie  in 
Arkansas,  bounded  on  all  sides  by  the  sky,  was  conceded  to  Law  himself, 
where  he  designed  to  plant  a  city,  and  actually  expended  a  million  and  a  half 
of  livres  for  that  purpose.  He  also  purchased  and  sent  to  Louisiana,  three 
hundred  slaves.  Mechanics  from  France,  and  emigrants  from  Germany  were, 
at  his  expense,  transported  thither,  and  gifts  of  great  value  were  lavished  by 
his  agents  upon  those  savage  tribes  with  whom  they  had  smoked  the  calumet. 
Notwithstanding,  however,  his  efforts  and  his  expenditures,  that  industry,  that 
economy  and  perseverance  so  essential  to  the  prosperity  of  a  new  settlement, 
was  not  there;  and  when  a  Jesuit  priest,  in  1729,  visited  the  colony,  thirty 
miserable  Frenchmen  alone  remained,  and  those  had  been  abandoned  by  their 
employers. 

During  this  paroxysm,  when  every  stockholder  in  the  Western  Company 
supposed  that  his  coffers  were  already  filled,  and  his  happiness  complete,  Fort 
Chartres,  near  Kaskaskia,  in  Illinois,  was  projected.  It  was  built  by  the  com- 
pany in  1720,  to  protect  themselves  against  the  Spaniards,  with  whom  France 
was  then  at  war,  and  was  located  near  the  center  of  the  French  settlements 
in  Illinois.  Eighty  thousand  shares  were  added  to  the  stock  of  the  royal 
India  company,  at  one  time.  For  these  new  shares,  three  hundred  thousand 
applications  were  made,  and  Law's  house  was  beset  from  morning  until  night, 
with  eager  applicants;  and  as  it  was  some  time  before  the  list  of  fortunate  stock- 
holders could  be  completed,  the  public  impatience  rose  to  a  pitch  of  frenzy. 

Dukes,  marquises,  and  counts,  with  their  wives  and  daughters,  waited  for 
hours  in  the  streets,  before  his  door,  to  know  the  result;  and  to  avoid  being 
jostled  by  the  plebeian  crowd,  took  apartments  in  the  adjacent  houses,  the 
rents  of  which  rose  from  a  thousand  livres,  to  twelve,  and  in  some  instances, 
sixteen  thousand  livres  per  annum.  The  demand  for  shares  was  so  great,  in- 
duced by  so  many  golden  dreams,  that  it  was  thought  advisable  to  increase 
them  three  hundred  thousand  more,  at  five  hundred  livres  each;  and  such  was 
the  eagerness  of  the  nation  to  become  subscribers,  that  three  times  the  amount, 
if  the  Government  had  ordered  it,  would  at  once  have  been  taken. 

Law  was  now  in  the  zenith  of  his  glory,  and  the  people  in  the  zenith  of 

.  their  infatuation.     The  high  and  the  low,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  were  at  once 

filled  with  the  visions  of  boundless  wealth;  and  people  of  every  age  and  sex, 

rank  and  condition,  were  engaged  in  buying  and  selling  stock.     A  cobbler, 

who  had  a  stall  near  Mr.  Law's,  gained  two  hundred  livres  a  day  by  letting 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,   ETC.  57 

it  out,  and  finding  materials  to  brokers  and  other  clients.  A  hump-backed 
man,  who  stood  in  the  street,  as  the  story  goes,  gained  considerable  sums  by 
lending  his  back,  as  a  writing-desk,  to  the  eager  spectators.  Law,  find! no 
his  residence  inconvenient,  removed  to  the  Place  Vendome,  whither  the  crowd 
followed  him;  and  the  spacious  square  had  the  appearace  of  a  public  market, 
and  a  lease  was  also  taken  of  the  Hotel  de  Soissons. 

Peers,  judges,  and  bishops,  thronged  the  Hotel  de  Soissons  ;  officers  of  the 
army  and  navy,  ladies  of  title  and  i'ashion,  were  seen  waiting  in  the  ante- 
chamber of  Mr.  Law,  to  beg  for  a  portion  of  his  India  stock.  'He  was  unable 
to  see  one-tenth  part  of  the  applicants,  and  every  species  of  ingenuity  was  em- 
ployed to  gain  an  audience.  Peers,  whose  dignity  would  have  been  outraged 
if  the  regent  had  made  them  wait  half  an  hour  for  an  interview,  were  content 
to  wait  six  hours,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  this  wily  adventurer. 

Enormous  fees  were  paid  to  his  servants,  merely  to  announce  their  names; 
and  ladies  of  rank  employed  the  blandishments  of  all  their  smiles.  One  lady 
in  particular,  who  had  striven  many  days  in  vain  to  see  him,  ordered  her 
coachman  to  keep  strict  watch,  and  when  he  saw  him  coming,  to  drive  against 
a  post  and  upset  her.  At  last  she  espied  Mr.  Law,  and  pulling  the  string, 
called  out  to  the  coachman:  "Upset  us  now."  The  coachman  drove  against 
a  post,  the  lady  screamed,  the  coach  was  overturned,  and  Mr.  Law,  who  had 
seen  the  accident,  came  to  her  assistance.  She  was  led  to  his  house,  and  as 
soon  as  she  thought  it  advisable,  recovered  from  her  fright,  apologized  for  her 
intrusion,  and  confessed  the  stratagem.  Law,  who  was  a  gallant  man,  could 
no  longer  resist,  and  entered  her  name  in  his  books  as  a  purchaser  of  a  quan- 
'tity  of  India  stock.  A  Madame  de  Bouche,  knowing  that  Mr.  Law  was  at 
dinner  at  a  certain  house,  proceeded  thither  in  her  carriage,  and  gave  the 
alarm  of  fire;  and  while  everybody  was  scampering  away,  she  made  haste 
toward  him,  and  he,  suspecting  the  trick,  ran  off  in  another  direction. 

A  celebrated  physician  in  Paris  had  bought  stock  at  an  unlucky  period  and 
was  anxious  to  sell  out.  While  it  was  rapidly  falling,  and  his  mind  was 
filled  with  the  subject,  he  was  called  upon  to  attend  a  lady  who  thought  her- 
self unwell.  Being  shown  up  stairs,  he  felt  of  the  lady's  pulse,  and  more  in- 
tent upon  his  stock  than  his  patient,  exclaimed:  "It  falls,  it  falls!  good 
God,  it  falls  continually !"  The  lady,  alarmed,  started  up,  and  ringing 
the  bell  for  assistance,  "Oh,  doctor!"  said  she,  "I  am  dying — I  am 
dying,  it  falls!"  "What  falls?"  inquired  the  doctor  in  amazement. 
"My  pulse — my  pulse!"  said  the  lady;  "I  am  dying!"  "Calm  your 
apprehensions,  my  dear  madam,"  said  the  doctor,  "I  was  speaking  of  the 
stocks.  I  have  been  so  great  a  loser,  and  my  mind  is  so  disturbed,  that  I 
hardly  know  what  I  was  saying."  The  effect  of  all  this  upon  the  public 
mind  and  the  public  manners,  was  overwhelming ;  the  laxity  of  public  morals, 
conspicuous  enough  before,  became  more  so ;  and  the  pernicious  love  of  gam- 
bling diffused  itself  through  society,  and  bore  all  public  and  nearly  all  private 
virtue  before  it. 

While  this  confidence  lasted,  an  impetus  was  given  to  trade,  which  it  had 
never  known.  Strangers  flocked  to  the  capital  from  every  part  of  the  globe, 
and  its  population  was  temporarily  increased  three  hundred  and  five  thousand 
souls.  Housekeepers  were  obliged  to  make  up  beds  in  garrets,  kitchens,  and 
even  stables,  for  the  accommodation  of  lodgers.  The  looms  of  the  country 
worked  with  uncommon  activity.  Provisions  shared  the  general  advance; 
wages  rose  in  the  same  proportion.  The  artisan  who  had  gained  his  fifteen 
sous  a  day,  now  gained  sixty.  An  illusory  prosperity  everywhere  prevailed, 
and  so  dazzled  the  eyes  of  the  victim,  that  no  one  could  perceive  on  the  hori- 
zon a  dark  cloud,  which  announced  the  approaching  storm. 


58  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

Law,  at  this  time,  was  by  far  the  most  influential  person  in  the  State  ;  his 
wife  and  daughters  were  courted  by  the  highest  nobility,  and  their  alliance 
sought  by  ducal  and  princely  houses. 

In  1720,  an  alarm  was  created.  Some  specie  was  demanded  ;  Law  became 
alarmed — the  precious  metals  had  left  the  kingdom.  Coin,  for  more  than 
five  hundred  livres,  was  declared  an  illegal  tender.  A  council  of  state  was 
held,  and  it  was  ascertained  that  two  thousand  six  hundred  millions  of  livres 
were  in  circulation;  and  on  the  27th  of  May,  the  bank  stopped  payment. 
The  people  assailed  Law's  carriage  with  stones  as  he  was  entering  his  own 
door,  and  but  for  the  dexterity  of  his  coachman,  he  would  have  been  torn  in 
pieces.  On  the  following  day,  his  wife  and  daughters  were  attacked  by  the 
mob,  as  they  were  returning  in  their  carriage  from  the  races.  The  regent 
being  informed  of  these  occurrences,  sent  him  a  guard  for  his  protection. 
Finding  his  own  house,  even  with  this  guard,  insecure,  he  repaired  to  the 
palace,  and  took  apartments  with  the  regent.  He  afterward  left  the  kingdom; 
his  estates  and  library  were  confiscated,  and  he  died  at  Venice,  in  extreme 
poverty,  in  1729. 

Such  was  the  fate  of  John  Law,  who  had  caused  several  millions  of  livres 
to  be  expended  in  Illinois,  and,  for  several  years,  had  used  the  Mississippi 
valley  as  the  means,  or  the  instrument,  of  his  ambition.  Stock-jobbers  and 
speculators  had  used  it  also  for  a  similar  purpose;  and  New-Orleans  was  more 
famous  in  Paris  when  covered  with  cane-brakes,  than  it  has  been  since. 

Law  held,  that  the  currency  of  a  country  was  the  mere  "representative  of  its 
moving  wealth;"  that  it  need  not,  therefore,  of  itself,  possess  intrinsic  value;  that 
the  wealth  of  a  nation  maybe  "indefinitely  increased  by  an  arbitrary  infusion 
of  paper;"  that  credit  consisted  in  the  "excess  of  circulation  over  immediate 
resources;  and,  that  the  "advantage  of  credit  is  in  the  direct  ratio  of  that  ex- 
cess." Hence  the  whimsical  project  of  collecting  the  gold  and  silver  of  a 
kingdom  into  one  bank,  and  supplying  its  place  by  an  exclusive  paper  cur 
rency. 

THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAE,  IN  THE  WEST. 

BY  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  the  power  of  France  had  been  extended 
over  a  great  part  of  North  America.  The  first  efforts  toward  the  settlement 
of  the  Mississippi  valley  were  made  by  that  power  at  several  of  its  remotest 
points  on  the  great  Lakes;  on  the  Wabash;  at  Kaskaskia,  on  the  Mississippi; 
whence  their  settlements  extended  across  the  Mississippi  to  St.  Genevieve,  and 
St.  Louis ;  on  the  Mexican  Gulf,  at  Biloxi  and  Mobile,  and  on  the  Lower 
Mississippi,  at  New  Orleans. 

In  pursuance  of  their  great  plan  of  occupying  the  whole  valley  and  con- 
necting thAr  settlements  from  Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  by  a  line  of 
posts,  with  water  communications,  like  the  chord  of  an  immense  semicircle, 
stretching  along  the  whole  rear  of  the  English  settlements,  they  gradually  ex- 
tended their  fortifications  to  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie ;  erecting  one  at 
Presque  Isle,  on  the  site  of  Erie,  and  another  at  Le  Boeuf,  on  the  French 
Creek,  between  that  point  and  the  Ohio,  and  a  third  on  Duquesne,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Allegheny  and  Monon^ahela,  on  the  site  of  Pittsburgh.  The 
advantages  of  that  admirable  position  did  not  escape  the  eyes  of  a  people  re- 
markably acute  to  discern  the  advantages  of  military  posts.  By  it  they  pro- 
posed to  command  the  trade,  and  awe  the  obedience  of  the  Indians  of  the 
Ohio  and  the  Lakes,  and  connect  the  southern  Canadian  posts,  by  the  long 
and  unrivaled  communication  of  the  Ohio  with  the  settlements  of  the  Wa- 
bash,  Illinois  and  lower  Mississippi. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— -NATJRAL  CURIOSITIES,   ETC-  59 

It  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  English  could  regard  these  proceedings 
I  of  their  rivals  without  alarm,  or  that  they  could  see  them  monopo!izing  the 
j  vast  and  fertile  country   of  Upper   Louisiana  without  desiring  to  share  its 
I  advantages,  especially  as  they  considered  themselves  possessing  an  equal  claim 
I  to  them.     In  consequence  of  the  discovery  of  the  Cabots,  they  asserted  the 
j  right  of  extending  their  settlements  as  far  as  the  Pacific.     The  French,  on 
the  other  hand,  maintained  their  claim  to  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  on  the 
ground  of  having  been  the  first  to  explore  and  colonize  it,  and  insisted  that 
i  the  English  should  confine  themselves  to  the  country  east  of  the  Alleghany 
I  Mountains.     Amid  these  conflicting  pretensions,  neither  party  seems  to  have 
imagined  that  there  might  be  prior  rights,  which  equally  barred  the  claims 
I  of  both.     An  Indian  chief  remarked,  on  the  occasion  of  this  dispute,  "The 
!  French  claim  all  the  country  to  the  west,  and  the  English  all  to  the  east  and 
west;  where,  then,  is  the  country  of  the  Indians?"     This  was  an  embarrass- 
ing question,  and  has  never  yet  been  satisfactorily  answered. 

At  this  time,  however,  the  Indians  did  not  seem  to  think  of  asserting  their 
own  rights,  but  took  part  in  the  quarrels  of  the  two  nations,  which  were  both 
equally  regardless  of  them  :  a  very  fortunate  circumstance  for  the  French,  as 
Canaaa  then  contained  only  45,000  inhabitants,  and  the  whole  of  Louisiana 
no  more  than  7000  whites,  while  the  English  colonies  had  a  population  of 
1,051,000. 

The  rival  nations  now  only  waited  an  occasion  of  commencing  the  contest 
and  it  soon  arrived.  Shortly  after  the  conclusion  of  the  last  war,  several  in 
dividuals  in  Virginia  and  England  associated  together  under  the  name  of  th* 
Ohio  Company,  and  obtained  a  grant  from  the  crown  of  six  hundred  thousand 
acres  of  land,  lying  in  the  country  claimed  by  either  nation.  The  objects  of 
this  company  being  commercial  as  well  as  territorial,  measures  were  taken  for 
securing  all  the  advantages  which  could  be  derived  from  their  charter,  by  es- 
tablishing trading-houses  and  employing  persons  to  survey  the  country. 

The  governor  of  Canada,  on  receiving  information  of  what  he  considered 
an  encroachment  on  the  French  dominions,  wrote  to  the  governors  of  .New- 
York  and  Pennsylvania,  stating  that  the  English  traders  had  trespassed  upon 
the  French  territory,  and  that,  if  they  were  not  made  to  desist,  he  should  be 
under  the  necessity  of  seizing  them.  Finding  his  threats  disregarded,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  put  them  in  execution ;  and,  arresting  the  company's  servants,  had 
them  conveyed  as  prisoners  to  Presque  Isle,  on  Lake  Erie,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  erecting  a  strong  fort.  About  the  same  time  a  communication  was 
opened  from  Presque  Isle,  along  French  Creek  and  the  Alleghany  River,  to 
the  Ohio,  called  by  the  French  La  Belle  Riviere.  This  communication  was 
kept  up  by  detachments  of  troops  posted  at  proper  distances,  in  works  capable 
of  protecting  them  against  an  attack  made  with  small  arms  alone. 

This  military  line  passing  through  the  territory  granted  to  the  Ohio  Com- 
pany as  a  part  of  Virginia,  the  lieutenant-governor  of  that  province  laid  the 
matter  before  the  Assembly,  and  dispatched  Washington,  then  a  young  officer 
only  twenty-one  years  old,  with  a  letter  to  Monsieur  de  St.  Pierre,  command- 
er of  the  French  forces  on  the  Ohio,  requiring  him  to  withdraw  from  the  do- 
minions of  his  Britannic  majesty.  M.  de  St.  Pierre  replied  with  politeness, 
but  in  decided  terms,  that  he  had  taken  possession  of  the  country  by  order  of 
his  superior  officer,  Governor  Duquesne,  to  whom  he  would  transmit  the  let- 
ter, but  the  summons  to  retire  he  could  not  comply  with. 

In  1754  preparations  were  immediately  made  in  Virginia  to  assert  the 
rights  of  the  British  crown,  and  a  regiment  was  sent  to  the  defense  of  the 
frontier.  Advancing  with  a  small  detachment,  Washington  fell  in  with 
a  party  of  French  and  Indians,  who  approached  with  every  appearance  of  hos- 


60  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

tile  intentions.     A  skirmish  ensued,  in  which  the  commander  of  the  party, 
M.  de  Jumonville,  and  ten  of  his  men,  were  killed. 

The  object  of  the  American  officer  had  been  to  anticipate  the  French  in 
occupying  the  post  at  the  junction  of  the  Alleghany  and  Monongahela,  where 
a  party  of  militia  and  a  body  of  workmen  had  been  sent  by  the  Ohio  Com- 
pany;  but  finding  they  had  already  driven  the  latter  away,  and  erected  a 
strong  fort  on  the  spot,  and  foreseeing  that,  on  hearing  of  the  affair  of  Jumon- 
ville, they  would  at  once  send  a  detachment  against  him,  he  hastily  complet- 
ed a  small  stockade  he  had  commenced  at  a  place  called  Great  Meadows, 
near  the  site  of  Uniontown,  Pa.,  and  gave  to  it  the  name  of  Fort  Necessity. 
Here  he  was  soon  attacked,  and,  after  a  gallant  defense,  capitulated  on  hon- 
orable terms. 

This  action  being  considered  by  the  British  government  as  the  commence- 
ment of  hostilities  by  the  French,  troops  were  immediately  sent  from  England 
to  prosecute  the  war.  Among  the  different  expeditions  planned  was  one  under 
Gen.  Braddock  against  Fort  Duquesne,  on  the  site  of  Pittsburgh. 

The  Battle  of  the  Monongahela. — Major  Gen.  Edward  Braddock  arrived 
in  this  country  early  in  the  year  1755,  with  two  regiments  of  veteran  English 
troops.  He  was  joined  at  Fort  Cumberland  by  a  large  number  of  provincial 
troops  to  aid  in  the  contemplated  reduction  of  Fort  Duquesne.  Dividing  his 
force,  he  pushed  onward  with  about  1200  chosen  men  through  dark  forests, 
and  over  pathless  mountains. 

Col.  George  Washington,  who  was  a  volunteer  aid  of  Braddock,  but  had 
been  left  behind  on  account  of  illness,  overtook  the  General  on  the  evening  of 
the  8th  of  July,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Youghiogheny  River,  fifteen  miles  from 
Duquesne,  the  day  before  the  battle. 

The  officers  and  soldiers  were  now  in  the  highest  spirits,  and  firm  in  the 
conviction  that  they  should  within  a  few  hours  victoriously  enter  within  the 
walls  of  Fort  Duquesne.  Early  on  the  morning  of  the  9th,  the  army  passed 
through  the  river  a  little  below  the  mouth  of  the  Youghiogheny,  and  proceeded 
in  perfect  order  along  the  southern  margin  of  the  Monongahela.  Wash- 
ington was  often  heard  to  say,  during  his  lifetime,  that  the  most  beautiful  spec- 
tacle he  had  ever  beheld  was  the  display  of  the  British  troops  on  this  event- 
ful morning.  Every  man  was  neatly  dressed  in  full  uniform,  the  soldiers  were 
arranged  in  columns,  and  marched  in  exact  order,  the  sun  gleamed  from  their 
burnished  arms,  the  river  flowed  tranquilly  on  their  right,  and  the  deep  forest 
overshadowed  them  with  solemn  grandeur  on  their  left.  Officers  and  men 
were  equally  inspirited  with  cheering  hopes,  and  confident  anticipations. 

In  this  manner  they  marched  forward  until  about  noon,  when  they  arrived 
at  the  second  crossing-place,  ten  miles  from  Fort  Duquesne.  They  halted  but 
a  little  time,  and  then  began  to  ford  the  river,  and  regain  its  northern  bank. 
As  soon  as  they  had  crossed  they  came  upon  a  level  plain,  elevated  only  a  few 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  river,  and  extending  northward  nearly  half  a 
mile  from  its  margin.  They  commenced  a  gradual  ascent  on  an  angle  of 
about  three  degrees,  which  terminated  in  hills  of  a  considerable  hight  at  no 
great  distance  beyond.  The  road,  from  the  fording-place  to  Fort  Duquesne, 
led  across  the  plain  and  up  this  ascent,  and  thence  proceeded  through  an  un- 
even country,  at  that  time  covered  with  wood. 

By  the  order  of  march,  300  men  under  Col.  Gage  made  the  advanced  party, 
which  was  immediately  followed  by  another  of  200.  Next  came  the  General 
with  the  columns  of  artillery,  the  main  body  of  the  army  and  the  baggage. 
About  one  o'clock  the  whole  had  crossed  the  river,  and  almost  at  this  moment, 
a  sharp  firing  was  heard  upon  the  advanced  parties,  who  were  now  ascending 
the  hill,  and  had  proceeded  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  termination  of  the 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  61 

plain.  A  heavy  discharge  of  musketry  was  poured  in  upon  their  front,  wnich 
was  the  first  intelligence  they  had  of  an  enemy;  and  this  was  suddenly  follow- 
ed by  another  upon  their  right  flank.  They  were  filled  with  the  greatest  con- 
sternation, as  no  enemy  was  in  sight,  and  the  firing  seemed  to  come  from  an 
invisible  foe.  They  fired  in  turn,  however,  but  quite  at  random,  and  obvious- 
ly without  effect. 

The  General  hastened  forward  to  the  relief  of  the  advanced  parties  ;  but 
before  he  could  reach  the  spot  which  they  occupied,  they  gave  way  and  fell 
back  upon  the  artillery  and  the  other  columns  of  the  army,  causing  extreme 
confusion,  and  striking  the  whole  mass  with  such  a  panic,  that  no  order  could 
afterward  be  restored.  The  general  and  the  officers  behaved  with  the 
utmost  courage,  and  used  every  effort  to  rally  the  men,  and  bring  them  to 
order,  but  all  in  vain.  In  this  state  they  continued  nearly  three  hours, 
huddling  together  in  confused  bodies,  firing  irregularly,  shooting  down  their 
own  officers  and  men,  and  doing  no  perceptible  harm  to  the  enemy.  The 
Virginia  provincials  were  the  only  troops  who  seemed  to  retain  their  senses, 
and  they  behaved  with  a  bravery  and  resolution  worthy  of  a  better  fate. 
They  adopted  the  Indian  mode,  and  fought,  each  man  for  himself,  behind  a 
tree.  This  was  prohibited  by  the  general,  who  endeavored  to  form  his  men 
into  platoons  and  columns,  as  if  they  had  been  maneuvering  on  the  plains  of 
Flanders.  Meantime,  the  French  and  Indians,  concealed  in  the  ravines  and 
behind  trees,  kept  up  a  deadly  and  unceasing  discharge  of  rifles,  singling  out 
their  objects,  taking  deliberate  aim,  and  producing  a  carnage  almost  unparalleled 
in  the  annals  of  modern  warfare.  More  than  half  the  whole  army,  which  had 
crossed  the  river  in  so  proud  an  array  only  three  hours  before,  were  either 
killed  or  wounded.  The  general  himself  received  a  mortal  wound,  and  many 
of  his  best  officers  fell  by  his  side. 

During  the  whole  of  the  action,  Col.  George  Washington,*  then  twenty-three 
years  of  age,  behaved  with  the  greatest  courage  and  resolution.  The  other 
two  aids-de-camp  were  wounded,  and  on  him  alone  devolved  the  duty  of 
distributing  the  orders  of  the  general.  He  rode  in  every  direction,  and  was  a 
conspicuous  object  for  the  enemy's  sharp  shooters.  He  had  four  bullets 
through  his  coat,  and  had  two  horses  shot  under  him,  and  yet  escaped  unhurt. 
So  bloody  a  contest  has  rarely  been  witnessed.  Out  of  twelve  hundred  men, 
seven  hundred  and  fourteen  were  either  killed  or  wounded ;  of  eighty-six 
officers,  more  than  two  thirds  were  among  the  killed  or  wounded.  Braddock 
was  mortally  wounded  by  a  provincial  named  Fausett.  (See  page  36.)  The 
enemy  lost  only  about  forty  men.  They  fought  in  deep  ravines,  and  the  balls 
of  the  English  passed  over  their  heads. 

The  remnant  of  Braddock's  army,  panic  stricken,  fled  in  great  disorder  to 
Fort  Cumberland.  The  enemy  did  not  pursue  them.  Satiated  with  carnage 
and  plunder,  the  Indians  could  not  be  tempted  from  the  battle-field. 

The  army  of  Braddock  had  been  carefully  watched,  by  some  Indian  spies, 
from  the  time  they  left  Fort  Cumberland.  There  was  no  force  in  Fort 
Duquesne  that  could  cope  with  the  English,  and  the  French  commandant  had 
expressed  the  necessity  of  either  retreat  or  surrender.  By  accident,  four 
hundred  or  five  hundred  Indians  happened  to  be  at  the  fort  of  the  French 
garrison.  One  officer  of  inferior  rank,  Capt.  Beaujeau,  strenuously  urged  that, 

*  When  Washington  went  to  the  Ohio,  in  1770,  to  explore  the  wild  hnds  near  the  mouth  of  thd 
Kanawha,  he  met  an  aged  Indian  chief,  who  told  him,  through  an  interpreter,  that,  at  the  battle  of 
Braddock's  Field,  he  had  singled  him  out  as  a  conspicuous  object,  fired  his  rifle  at  him  many  times, 
and  directed  his  young  men  to  do  the  same,  but  none  of  their  balls  took  effect.  He  was  then 
persuaded  that  the  young  hero  was  under  the  especial  guardianship  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  ceased 
firing  at  him.  He  had  now  come  a  great  way  to  pay  homage  to  the  man  who  was  the  particular 
favorite  of  Heaven,  and  who  could  never  die  in  battle. 

8 


62  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

for  the  honor  of  the  French  arms,  some  resistance  should  be  made.  Beaujeau 
consulted  the  Indians,  who  volunteered  to  the  number  of  about  four  hundred. 
With  much  difficulty,  the  young  hero  obtained  from  his  commander  permission 
to  lead  out  to  a  certain  limit,  such  French  soldiers  as  chose  to  join  in  the 
desperate  enterprise.  Of  the  number,  only  about  thirty  volunteered,  and 
with  these  four  hundred  and  thirty  men,  the  gallant  Frenchman  marched  out 
to  attack  more  than  threefold  their  number. 

In  the  meantime,  Braddock  rejected  every  remonstrance  from  Washington 
and  other  colonial  officers  with  insult,  and  advanced  into  the  snare  just  as  far 
as  the  enemy  desired,  when  destruction  to  the  greater  part  of  the  army  was 
almost  the  certain  result.  (See  note,  page  36.) 

When  the  victory  was  reported  to  the  commandant  at  Fort  Duquesne,  his 
transports  were  unbounded.  He  received  Beaujeau  with  open  arms,  loaded 
him  with  the  most  extravagant  honors,  and,  in  a  few  days,  sent  to  report  the 
victory  to  the  Governor  of  Canada.  But  behold !  when  the  dispatches  were 
opened,  they  consisted  of  criminal  charges  against  Beaujeau  in  his  office  of 
paymaster,  and  other  charges  equally  culpable.  Under  these  accusations, 
this  injured  man  was  tried,  broke  and  ruined.  So  matters  rested  until,  in  the 
revolutionary  war,  the  subject  of  Braddock's  defeat  happened  to  come  into 
conversation  between  Washington  and  Lafayette,  when  the  real  facts  were 
stated  to  the  latter.  He  b^rd  them  with  unqualified  astonishment;  but  with 
his  powerful  sense  of  justice,  determining  to  do  all  in  his  ability  to  repair 
what  he  considered  a  national  act  of  cruelty  and  injustice,  he  took  and 
preserved  careful  notes,  and  on  his  return  to  Europe,  had  inquiries  made  for 
Beaujeau.  He  was  found  in  a  state  of  poverty  and  wretchedness,  broken 
down  by  advancing  years  and  unmerited  obloquy.  The  affair  was  brought 
before  the  government  of  France,  and  as  the  real  events  were  made  manifest, 
the  officer  was  restored  to  his  rank  and  honors. 

To  the  foregoing  account  of  the  incidents  of  Braddock's  defeat,  we  annex 
a  few  paragraphs  from  the  narrative  of  Col.  James  Smith,  then  a  prisoner  at 
Fort  Duquesne. 

Some  time  after  I  was  there,  I  was  visited  by  the  Delaware  Indian  who 
was  at  the  taking  of  me,  and  could  speak  some  English.  I  asked  him  what 
news  from  Braddock's  army?  He  said,  the  Indians  spied  them  every  day, 
and  he  showed  me  by  making  marks  on  the  ground  with  a  stick,  that 
Braddock's  army  was  advancing  in  very  close  order,  and  that  the  Indians 
would  surround  them,  take  trees,  and  (as  he  expressed  it),  shoot  urn  down  all 
one  pigeon. 

Shortly  after  this,  on  the  9th  day  of  July,  1755,  in  the  morning,  I  heard  a 
great  stir  it.  the  fort.  As  I  could  then  walk  with  a  staff  in  my  hand,  I  went 
out  of  the  door,  which  was  just  by  the  wall  of  the  fort,  and  stood  upon  the 
wall  and  viewed  the  Indians  in  a  huddle  before  the  gate,  where  were  barrels 
of  powder,  bullets,  flints,  &c.,  and  every  one  taking  what  suited;  I  saw  the 
Indians  also  march  off  in  rank  entire — likewise  the  French  Canadians,  and 
some  reguhrs  After  viewing  the  Indians  and  French  in  different  positions, 
I  computed  them  to  be  about  four  hundred,  and  wondered  that  they  attempted 
to  go  out  against  Braddock  with  so  small  a  party.  I  was  then  in  high  hopes 
that  I  would  soon  see  them  fly  before  the  British  troops,  and  that  General 
Braddock  would  soon  take  the  fort  and  rescue  me. 

I  remained  anxious  to  know  the  event  of  this  day ;  and,  in  the  afternoon, 
I  again  observed  a  great  noise  and  commotion    n  the  fort,  and  though  at  that   . 
time  I  could  not  understand  French,  yet  I  found  that  it  was  the  voice  of  joy 
and  triumph,  and  feared  that  they  had  received  what  I  called  bad  news. 

I  had  observed  some  of  the  old  country  soldiers  speak  Dutch  >  as  I  spoke 


FRONTIER  LIFE- NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  63 

Dutch,  I  went  to  one  of  them,  and  asked  him  what  was  the  news?  He  tola 
me  that  a  runner  had  just  arrived,  who  said  that  Braddock  would  certainly  be 
defeated ;  that  the  Indians  and  French  had  surrounded  him,  and  were 
concealed  behind  trees  and  in  gullies,  and  kept  a  constant  lire  upon  the  English, 
and  that  they  saw  the  English  falling  in  heaps,  and  if  they  did  not  take  the 
river,  which  was  the  only  gap,  and  make  their  escape,  there  would  not,  be 
one  man  left  alive  before  sundown.  Some  time  after  this,  I  heard  a  number 
of  scalp  halloos,  and  saw  a  company  of  Indians  and  French  coming  in.  I, 
observed  they  had  a  great  many  bloody  scalps,  grenadiers'  caps,  British 
canteens,  bayonets,  &c.,  with  them.  They  brought  the  news  that  Braddock 
was  defeated.  After  that,  another  company  came  in,  which  appeared  to  be 
about  one  hundred,  and  chiefly  Indians,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  almost 
every  one  of  this  company  was  carrying  scalps ;  after  this,  came  another 
company  with  a  number  of  wagon  horses,  and  also  a  great  many  scalps. 
Those  that  were  coming  in,  and  those  that  had  arrived,  kept  a  constant  firing 
of  small  arms,  and  also  the  great  guns  in  the  fort,  which  were  accompanied 
with  the  most  hideous  shouts  and  yells  from  all  quarters ;  so  it  appeared  to 
me  as  if  the  infernal  regions  had  broke  loose. 

About  sundown,  I  beheld  a  small  party  coming  in  with  about  a  dozen 
prisoners,  stripped  naked,  with  their  hands  tied  behind  their  backs,  and  their 
faces  and  part  of  their  bodies  blackened — these  prisoners  they  burned  to  d^eath 
on  the  bank  of  the  Alleghany  River,  opposite  to  the  fort.  I  stood  on  the  fort 
wall  until  I  beheld  them  begin  to  burn  one  of  these  men :  they  had  him  tied 
to  a  stake,  and  kept  touching  him  with  fire-brands,  red-hot  irons,  &c.,  and  he 
screaming  in  the  most  doleful  manner, — the  Indians,  in  the  meantime,  yelling 
like  infernal  spirits.  As  this  scene  appeared  too  shocking  for  me  to  behold, 
I  returned  to  my  lodgings  both  sorry  and  sore. 

When  I  came  into  my  lodgings,  I  saw  Russel's  Seven  Sermons,  which 
they  had  brought  from  the  field  of  battle,  which  a  Frenchman  made  a  present 
of  to  me.  From  the  best  information  I  could  receive,  there  were  only  seven 
Indians  and  four  French  killed  in  this  battle,  and  five  hundred  British  lay 
dead  in  the  field,  beside  what  were  killed  in  the  river  on  their  retreat. 

The  morning  after  the  battle,  I  saw  Braddock's  artillery  brought  into  the 
fort ;  the  same  day,  I  also  saw  several  Indians  in  British  officer's  dress,  with 
sash,  half  moons,  laced  hats,  &c.,  which  the  British  then  wore. 

The  result  of  this  battle  gave  the  French  and  Indians  a  complete  ascendancy 
on  the  Ohio,  and  put  a  check  to  the  British  operations,  west  of  the  mountains, 
for  two  or  three  years.  In  1757,  the  Shawanees,  Cherokees  and  Iroquois,  in 
alliance  with  the  French,  penetrated  even  to  the  east  side  of  the  mountains, 
desolating  the  frontier  settlements  in  blood.  In  the  same  autumn,  the  English 
built  Fort  London,  in  what  is  now  named  Monroe  County,  East  Tennessee : 
in  the  suceeeding  year,  Col.  Burd  erected  another  fort  on  the  Holston,  one 
hundred  miles  north.  Settlements  arose  around  each  of  these  posts. 

Grant's  Defeat. — In  the  year  1758,  great  preparations  were  made  by  the 
English  for  the  reduction  of  the  French  posts.  In  July,  an  army  of  seven 
thousand  men,  under  Gen.  Forbes,  left  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  destined  for 
the  reduction  of  Fort  Duquesne.  About  the  middle  of  September,  the 
advanced  guard,  under  Col.  Boquet,  having  reached  Loyal  Hanna,  in  what  is 
now  Westmoreland  county,  that  officer  dispatched  Major  Grant  to  reconnoiter, 
with  eight  hundred  Highland  Scotch  and  two  hundred  Virginians,  under 
Major  Andrew  Lewis,  who  subsequently  commanded  at  the  sanguinary  battle 
of  Point  Pleasant. 

As  they  drew  near  the  fort  undiscovered,  Grant  thought  he  could  surprise 
the  garrison,  and  thus  disappoint  his  general  of  the  honor  of  the  conquest. 


64  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

Lewis,  in  vain,  remonstrated  against  the  folly  of  the  attempt ;  but  Grant, 
desirous  of  monopolizing  all  the  honor,  ordered  Lewis  with  his  provincials 
to  remain  behind  with  the  baggage.  Early  in  the  morning,  Grant,  with  his 
Scotch  Highlanders,  advanced  to  the  attack  by  beating  drums  upon  Grant's 
Hill,  as  it  was  afterward  called,  within  the  site  of  Pittsburgh.  This 
incautious  bravado  aroused  the  Indians,  who,  to  the  number  of  fifteen 
hundred,  were  lying  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  soon  Grant  was 
surrounded  by  an  overwhelming  number,  when  the  work  of  death  went  on 
rapidly,  and  in  a  manner  quite  novel  to  the  Scotch  Highlanders,  who,  in  all 
their  European  wars,  had  never  before  seen  men's  heads  skinned.  Major 
Lewis  soon  perceiving,  by  the  retreating  fire,  that  Grant  was  overmatched, 
came  to  the  rescue  with  his  provincials,  and  falling  on  the  rear  of  the  Indians, 
made  way  for  Grant  and  some  of  his  men  to  retreat ;  but  his  own  party  was 
overwhelmed  by  numbers.  This  action  proved  disastrous  to  the  English, 
more  than  one-third  of  the  whole  force  being  killed.  Grant  and  Lewis  were 
both  taken  prisoners,*  and  the  remnant  of  the  detachment  was  saved  mainly 
through  the  bravery  and  skill  of  Capt.  Bullet,  of  the  Virginia  provincials,  the 
only  officer  who  escaped  unhurt. 

Co,'.  Boquet,  while  remaining  at  Loyal  Hanna  with  the  advance,  was, 
shortly  after,  twice  attacked  by  the  French  and  Indians  with  great  vigor;  but 
he  successfully  repulsed  them,  with  a  loss  on  his  part  of  only  sixty-seven  in 
killed  and  wounded.  The  intrenchment  he  threw  up  at  that  place,  was 
afterward  called  Fort  Ligonier. 

In  November,  the  commandant  of  Fort  Duquesne,  unable  to  cope  with  the 
overwhelming  force  approaching  under  Forbes,  destroyed  the  fortress,  and 
descended  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans.  On  his  route,  he 
erected  Fort  Massac,  on  the  Ohio,  about  forty  miles  from  its  mouth,  in  the 
Illinois  country.  Gen.  Forbes  repaired  Fort  Duquesne  and  changed  its  name 
to  Fort  Pitt ;  on  this  spot  now  stands  the  flourishing  city  of  Pittsburgh. 

The  English  were  now,  for  the  first  time,  in  possession  of  the  whole  Upper 
Ohio  region.  In  the  spring  of  1759,  they  established  posts  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  Ohio,  prominent  among  which,  was  Fort  Burd,  on  the  site  of 
Brownstc/wn,  Pa.,  later  called  Redstone  Old  Fort.  They  also  soon  had 
possession  of  Presque  Isle,  Detroit,  and  other  French  posts  in  that  region. 

While  these-events  had  been  transpiring  in  the  west,  most  brilliant  successes 
had  attended  the  English  arms  on  the  north.  Ticonderoga,  Crown  Point, 
Fort  Niagara  and  Quebec,  were  taken  in  1759;  the  next  year,  Montreal  fell, 
and  with  it,  the  whole  of  Canada.  By  the  treaty  of  Paris,  in  1763,  France 
relinquished  all  her  claims  to  Canada,  and  the  western  country,  east  of  the 
Mississippi,  to  Great  Britain;  to  Spain,  she  ceded  that  west  of  the  Mississippi. 


THE  CHEROKEE  WAR  OF  1760. 

AN  important  episode  in  the  French  and  Indian  war,  which  resulted  in  the 
loss  of  Canada  and  the  West,  to  that  power,  was  the  Cherokee  war. 
Most  of  the  prominent  incidents  of  which  occurred  on  or  near  the  eastern  and 
south-eastern  line  of  Tennessee. 

The  Cherokees  occupied  a  beautiful  and  broad  extent  of  country — one  of 

»  The  Indiana  would  have  killed  Lewis  had  it  not  been  for  the  interference  of  a  French  officer. 
When  he  was  advancing  to  the  relief  of  Grant,  he  met  a  Scotch  Highlander,  under  speedy  flight;  and 
Inquiring  of  him  how  the  battle  went,  he  replied,  that  they  were  "  a'  beaten,  and  he  had  seen  Donald 
M'Donald  up  to  his  huukers  in  mud,  and  a*  the  skeen  aff  his  heed." 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  65 

fertile  valleys,  green  meadows,  sunny  slopes,  immense  forests,  girt  about  by 
mountains  of  giant  grandeur,  that  alike  served  as  natural  fortresses,  and  to 
exclude  them  from  the  outer  world.  They  were  a  highly  intellectual  people, 
compared  to  most  of  the  aborigines.  They  possessed  fine  fruit,  and  corn 
fields,  and  their  towns  were  generally  fenced  in.  Beside  the  great  natural 
strength  of  their  position,  their  numerical  force  was  large,  for  they  had  no 
less  than  sixty-four  towns  and  villages,  and  were  able,  in  an  emergency,  to 
send  six  thousand  warriors  into  the  field. 

In  1756,  the  English  sent  deputies  among  the  Cherokees,  to  secure  their 
aid  against  the  French.  A  council  was  convened,  and  likely  to  terminate 
favorably,  when  tidings  suddenly  came  that  a  party  of  their  nation,  who  had 
visited  the  French  on  the  Ohio,  were  massacred  by  some  Virginians,  on  their 
return  home.  Immediately  the  council  was  in  an  uproar,  and  it  was  not 
without  the  greatest  exertions  on  the  part  of  their  renowned  chief,  Attakulla, 
that  the  deputies  were  saved  from  immediate  death. 

Great  excitement  succeeded  this  provocation.  The  older  part  of  the  nation 
remained  calm,  and  Attakulla  and  Oconostota,  or  the  Great  Warrior,  were  both 
against  instant  war;  but  the  French  emissaries  instigated  the  younger  warriors 
to  take  the  field ;  parties  of  whom  involved  the  frontiers  in  horrid  devastation 
and  massacre.  Governor  Lyttleton,  of  South  Carolina,  summoned  the  militia 
to  meet  at  the  Congarees,  to  commence  active  hostilities.  No  sooner  did  the 
Cherokees  hear  of  this  movement,  than  they  sent  thirty-two  of  their  chiefs, 
among  whom  was  Great  Warrior,  to  settle  all  differences  at  Charleston.  A 
conference  ensued,  and  the  Governor  made  a  long  speech  of  accusation,  which 
he  concluded  by  saying,  the  chiefs  must  follow  his  troops,  or  he  would  not  be 
answerable  for  their  safety.  Oconostota  gravely  rose  to  reply,  but  the  Gov- 
ernor forbade  him  to  proceed:  "he  would  hear  no  talk  in  vindication  of  the 
orator's  countrymen,  nor  any  proposals  with  regard  to  peace,  but  was  deter- 
mined to  proceed  with  his  expedition. 

The  Great  Warrior  and  his  brother  deputies  were  indignant;  with  hearts 
open  for  peace,  they  were  grossly  insulted.  Nay,  more,  they  were  forcibly 
obliged  to  accompany  the  Governor  to  the  Congarees,  where  were  collected 
one  thousand  four  hundred  men;  and  when  the  expedition  started  on  its 
march,  a  guard  was  placed  over  them  to  prevent  their  escape.  On  reaching 
Fort  George,  which  stood  on  the  Isundiga  River,  about  three  hundred  miles 
from  Charleston,  on  the  borders  of  the  Cherokee  country,  the  chiefs  were 
placed  in  close  confinement. 

As  his  troops  were  becoming  discontented  and  mutinous,  the  Governor 
dared  not  advance  any  farther,  and  sent  for  Attakulla,  the  steady  friend  of 
the  English,  and  the  wisest  man  of  the  nation.  He  obeyed  the  summons, 
and  a  conference  took  place  on  the  17th  of  December,  1759.  The  Governor 
declared  his  readiness  for  peace,  but  on  the  condition  that  twenty-four  of  the 
Cherokees  should  be  delivered  up  to  be  put  to  death,  or  otherwise  disposed 
of  at  option,  as  an  atonement  for  that  number  of  Carolinians  massacred  in  the 
late  foray  of  the  savages.  These  terms  were  accepted ;  but  as  soon  as  they 
were  known,  the  mass  of  the  Cherokees  fled  to  the  mountains,  and  the  number 
of  hostages  could  only  be  secured  by  detaining  twenty -two  of  the  chiefs 
already  in  custody. 

No  sooner  had  the  Governor  disbanded  his  forces  than  the  Cherokees  de- 
termined to  violate  a  treaty  so  unjustly  extorted,  sounded  the  war-whoop,  and 
killed  fourteen  whites  within  a  mile  of  Fort  George.  This  was  followed  up 
by  a  stratagem  by  which  Oconostota,  who  had  been  released,  aimed  to  take 
possession  of  the  fort.  Pretending  to  have  something  of  importance  to  com- 
municate to  the  commander,  he  dispatched  a  woman  who  had  usually  ob- 


. 

66  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

tained  access  to  the  station  to  solicit  an  interview  with  the  commandant  on 
the  bank  of  the  river.  Cotymore  imprudently  assented,  and  accompanied 
by  two  officers,  walked  down  to  the  river;  from  the  opposite  side  of  which 
Oconostota  addressed  him.  While  they  spoke,  the  Indian  waved  a  bridle 
over  his  head  as  a  signal  to  his  ambushed  warriors.  They  fired;  Cotymore 
fell  dead,  and  his  companions  were  wounded.  But  the  Cherokees  failed  to 
get  possession  of  the  fort.  Suspecting  a  concerted  movement  among  the 
hostages,  by  which  they  would  co-operate  with  the  assailing  foe  without,  the 
officers  in  the  fort  gave  orders  to  secure  them  with  irons.  The  Indians 
resisted  with  arms,  and  stabbing  three  of  the  soldiers,  so  exasperated  the  rest, 
already  excited  by  the  murder  of  their  captain,  that  they  fell  upon  the  misera- 
ble captives,  and  butchered  them  to  a  man. 

There  were  but  few  men  in  the  Cherokee  nation  that  did  not  lose  a  friend 
or  a  relation  in  this  massacre.  All,  with  one  voice,  cried  for  war:  "the 
spirits  of  their  murdered  brothers  were  hovering  around  them,  and  calling  out 
for  vengeance  on  their  enemies."  Large  parties  rushed  down  upon  the  de- 
fenseless frontiers  of  Carolina,  and  men,  women,  and  children  fell  a  prey  to 
their  merciless  fury.  Some,  who  escaped  the  scalpin^-knife,  starved  to  death 
in  the  forests;  others,  borne  into  captivity,  suffered  incredible  hardships. 
Every  day  brought  fresh  accounts  of  their  ravages  and  murders. 

Great  alarm  prevailed  throughout  the  Carolinas,  and  troops  were  raised  for 
the  protection  of  the  frontiers,  and  with  the  others,  General  Amherst  sent 
twelve  companies  of  British  regulars  to  the  theater  of  hostilities.  In  May, 
1760,  the  campaign  commenced  with  a  rapid  invasion  of  the  Cherokee  terri- 
tory; considerable  ravages  were  speedily  made;  Estatoe  and  Keowee,  the 
latter  containing  two  hundred  houses,  were  burnt ;  the  army  then  marched  to 
the  relief  of  Fort  George. 

And  now  the  war  grew  fervid.  Saloueh  and  Fiftoe  had  sworn  vengeance 
over  the  ashes  of  their  homes,  and  the  soul  of  the  Great  Warrior  was  hot 
within  him.  T^he  invaders  were  suffered  to  pursue  their  hazardous  and  diffi- 
cult march,  through  dark  thickets  and  deep  defiles,  and  over  mountains,  rivers, 
and  swamps,  until  within  five  miles  of  Etchoe.  Here  was  a  low  valley  cov- 
ered so  thick  with  bushes,  that  the  soldiers  could  scarcely  see  three  yards 
before  them.  The  army  was  obliged  to  pass  through  it,  and  that  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  permit  but  a  few  troops  to  act  together.  An  officer  was  ordered 
to  advance  and  scour  the  thicket  with  a  company  of  rangers.  A  sudden  dis- 
charge of  fire-arms  laid  him  dead  with  several  of  his  soldiers.  The  grena- 
diers and  light  infantry  now  charged  the  enemy,  a  heavy  fire  commenced  on 
both  sides,  and  the  woods  rang  with  the  warriors'  whoop,  the  ring  of  mus- 
ketry, the  shouts  of  the  soldiery,  and  the  groans  of  the  dying.  The  action 
lasted  more  than  an  hour;  the  English  losing  in  killed  and  wounded  almost 
a  hundred  men,  when  the  Indians  slowly  retreated  and  disappeared,  carrying 
off  the  bodies  of  their  slain.  Upon  viewing  the  ground,  all  were  astonished 
at  the  judgment  shown  in  its  selection ;  the  most  experienced  officer  could 
scarce  have  fixed  upon  a  more  advantageous  spot  for  attacking  an  enemy. 
Orders  were  immediately  given  for  an  expeditious  retreat. 

Thus  Oconostota  succeeded  in  the  field.  But  his  heart  still  thirsted  for 
blood.  Fort  Loudon,  in  what  is  now  Monroe  county,  Tennessee,  was  be- 
sieged, with  its  garrison  of  two  hundred  men.  They  were  reduced  to  the 
horrors  of  famine,  being  obliged  to  consume  their  horses  and  dogs  for  food.  It 
•vas  not  until  then  that  the  commandant  agreed  to  capitulate  upon  condition  that 
the  garrison  should  be  permitted  to  march  out  with  their  arms  to  the  nearest 
white  settlements.  On  the  7th  of  August,  the  fort  was  surrendered,  and  the 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL    CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  67 

troops  had  proceeded  one  day's  march  up  the  Tellico,  about  fifteen  miles  on 
the  way  to  Fort  George.  Here,  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  at  day-break  next 
morning,  they  were  surrounded  and  attacked  by  nearly  five  hundred  warriors  ; 
with  the  most  horrid  yells,  they  rushed,  tomahawk  in  hand,  upon  the  feeble 
and  emaciated  trot  At  the  first  fire,  the  commandant  and  thirty  of  his 
men  fell,  and  the  gn  T  portion  of  the  remainder  massacred  on  the  spot. 
The  residue  either  fled  or  were  captured,  and  the  latter  pinioned  and  sent  back 
to  Fort  Loudon.  Among  the  latter,  was  a  Captain  Stuart,  who  before  the 
war  had  been  a  friend  of  Attakulla.  This  chief  had  taken  no  part  in  the 
war.  He  came  forward  and  claimed  him  as  his  prisoner,  and  at  the  first  op- 
portunity magnanimously  assisted  him  to  escape. 

The  spring  of  1761  opened  with  new  efforts,  upon  the  part  of  the  English, 
so  that  by  the  27th  of  May,  2600  men  mustered  at  Fort  George,  with  whom 
were  numbers  of  Chickasaws  and  Catawbas. 

Latinac,  a  French  officer,  was  at  this  time  among  the  Cherokees,  inciting 
them  to  war.  He  persuaded  them  that  the  English  would  be  satisfied  with 
nothing  else  than  to  exterminate  them,  man,  woman  and  child  from  the  face 
of  the  earth.  He  gave  them  arms  too,  and  urged  them  to  war.  At  a  grand 
meeting  ot  the  nation,  he  brandished  his  hatchet,  and  striking  it  furiously  into 
a  log  ot' wood,  cried  out:  "Who  is  the  man  that  will  take  this  up  for  the 
King  of  France !  Where  is  he  !  Let  him  come  forth !"  Saloueh,  the  young 
warrior  of  Estatoe,  instantly  leaped  forward,  laid  hold  of  it,  and  cried  out : 
*'  I  will  take  it  up.  I  am  for  war.  The  spirits  of  the  slain  call  upon  us  ;  I 
will  avenge  them,  and  who  will  not?  he  is  no  better  than  a  woman  who  re- 
fuses to  follow  me."  Fierce  looks  and  uplifted  tomahawks  answered  this  ap- 
peal, and  again  the  war  torrent  rushed  down  upon  the  frontiers. 

The  English  commenced  their  march  into  the  interior  on  the  7th  of  June, 
and  advanced  unmolested  as  far  as  the  well-remembered  battle-ground  of  the 
year  previous ;  but  there  the  Indian  scouts  in  front  observed  a  large  body  of 
Cherokees  posted  upon  a  hill  on  the  right  flank  of  the  army.  Immediately 
the  savages,  rushing  down,  began  to  fire  upon  the  advanced  guard,  which 
being  supported,  repulsed  them  ;  but  they  recovered  the  heights.  Col.  Grant 
ordered  a  party  to  march  up  the  hills,  and  drive  the  enemy  from  them.  The 
engagement  became  general,  and  was  fought  on  both  sides  with  great  bravery. 
The  situation  of  the  troops,  in  several  respects,  was  deplorable — fatigued  by 
a  tedious  march  in  rainy  weather — surrounded  by  woods  so  that  they  could 
not  discern  the  enemy — baulked  by  the  scattering  fire  of  the  savages,  who 
when  pressed  always  fell  back,  but  rallied  again.  No  sooner  was  any  advan- 
tage gained  over  them  in  any  one  quarter,  than  they  appeared  in  another. 
While  the  attention  of  the  Commander  was  occupied  in  driving  the  enemy 
from  their  lurking-place  on  the  river's  side,  his  rear  was  attacked,  and  so  vig- 
orous an  effort  made  for  his  cattle  and  flour,  that  he  was  obliged  to  order  a 
party  back  to  the  relief  of  the  rear-guard.  From  eight  o,clock  in  the  morn- 
ing until  eleven,  the  savages  continued  to  keep  up  an  incessant  fire,  sometimes 
from  one  place,  sometimes  from  another,  while  the  woods  resounded  with 
hideous  war-hoops.  At  length  the  Cherokees  gave  way  and  were  pursued. 
The  English  loss  was  about  sixty  in  killed  and  wounded ;  that  of  the  Chero- 
kees was  unknown. 

Now  commenced  a  scene  of  devastation  scarcely  paralleled  in  tne  annals  of 
the  continent.  For  thirty  days  the  army  employed  themselves  In  burning 
and  ravaging  the  country  and  settlements  of  the  now  broken-spirited  Cherokees 
No  less  than  fourteen  of  their  towns  shared  the  fete  of  Etchoe.  Their  gran- 
aries were  yielded  to  the  flames,  their  cornfields  ravaged,  while  the  miserable 
fugitives,  flying  from  the  sword,  took  refuge  with  their  almost  starving  fami- 


68  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES. 

lies  among  the  mountains — their  only  sustenance  for  most  of  the  time  being 
•.  horseflesh. 

The  celebrated  Francis  Marion,  then  a  subordinate  officer  in  this  campaign, 
in  writing  to  a  friend,  gives  the  following  touching  and  picturesque  account : 
We  arrived  at  the  Indian  towns  in  the  month  of  July.  As  the  lands  were 
ric-h  and  the  season  had  been  favorable,  the  corn  was  bending  under  the 
double  weight  of  lusty  roasting  ears  and  pods  and  clustering  beans.  The  fur- 
rows seemed  to  rejoice  under  their  precious  loads — the  fields  stood  thick  with 
bread.  We  encamped  the  first  night  in  the  woods,  near  the  fields,  where  the 
whole  army  feasted  on  the  young  corn,  which,  with  fat  venison,  made  a  most 
delicious  treat.  The  next  morning,  we  proceeded,  by  order  of  Col.  Grant,  to 
burn  down  the  Indian  cabins.  Some  of  our  men  seemed  to  enjoy  this  cruel 
work,  laughing  very  heartily  at  the  curling  flames,  as  they  mounted,  loud 
crackling,  over  the  tops  of  the  huts.  But,  to  me,  it  appeared  a  shocking 
sight.  '  Poor  creatures !'  thought  I,  '  we  surely  need  not  grudge  you  such 
miserable  habitations.'  But  when  we  came,  according  to  orders,  to  cut  down 
the  fields  of  corn,  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  tears.  For  who  could  see  the 
stalks,  that  stood  so  stately,  with  broad,  green  leaves,  and  gaily  tasselled 
shocks,  filled  with  sweet,  milky  fluid,  and  flour,  the  staff  of  life — who,  I  say, 
without  grief,  could  see  these  sacred  plants  sinking  under  our  sword,  with  all 
their  precious  load,  to  wither,  and  rot  untasted  in  the  morning  fields ! 

I  saw  everywhere  around,  the  footsteps  of  little  Indian  children,  where 
they  had  lately  played  under  the  shelter  of  the  rustling  corn.  No  doubt,  they 
had  often  looked  up  with  joy,  tp  the  swelling  shocks,  and  gladdened  when 
they  thought  of  their  abundant  cakes  for  the  coming  winter.  When  we  are 
gone,  thought  I,  they  will'  return,  and,,  peeping  through  the  weeds  with  tearful 
eyes,  will  mark  the  ghastly  ruin  poured  over  their  homes,  and  the  happy  fields 
where  they  had  so  often  played. 

The  result  of  these  measures  was  decisive.  No  sooner  had  the  army 
reached  Fort  George,  than  a  deputation  of  chiefs  visited  the  camp,  to  sue  tor 
peace.  Among  them,  was  Attakulla,  who  thus  addressed  Col.  Grant: 

You  live  at  the  water  side,  and  are  in  light.  We  are  in  darkness  ;  but  hope  all  will  be  clear  I 
have  been  constantly  going  about  doing  good;  and  though  I  am  tired,  yet  I  am  come  to  see  what 
can  be  done  for  my  people,  who  are  in  great  distress.  As  to  what  has  happened,  I  believe  it  has 
been  ordered  by  our  Father  above.  We  are  of  a  different  color  from  the  white  people.  They  are 
superior  to  us.  But  one  God  is  Father  of  us  all,  and  we  hope  what  is  past  will  be  forgotten.  God 
Almighty  made  all  people.  There  is  not  a  day,  but  that  some  are  coming  into,  and  others  going 
out  of  the  world.  The  Great  King  told  me  the  path  should  never  be  crooked,  but  open  for  every 
one  to  pass  and  repass.  As  we  all  live  in  one  land,  I  hope  that  we  shall  all  live  as  one  people. 

Peace  was  formally  ratified,  and  both  expressed  the  hope  that  it  might  last 
as  long  as  the  sun  would  shine  and  the  rivers  run. 


THE  PONTIAC  WAR. 

IN  the  year  1760,  the  French  yielded  to  the  English  power  in  Canada,  and 
on  the  western  waters.  Three  days  after  the  fall  of  Montreal,  Major  Rogers 
was  dispatched  with  forces  to  take  possession  of  the  French  posts  along  the 
southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  and  at  Detroit. 

At  this  period,  there  sprung  upon  the  stage,  the  most  remarkable  Indian  in 
the  annals  of  history.  It  was  Pontiac,  the  chief  of  the  Ottawa  tribe,  and  the 
principal  sachem  of  the  Algonquin  Confederacy.  He  was  distinguished  for 
his  noble  form,  commanding  address,  and  proud  demeanor.  To  these  qualities, 
he  united  a  lofty  courage  and  a  pointed  and  vigorous  eloquence,  that  won  the 
confidence  of  all  the  lake  Indians,  and  made  him  a  marked  example  of  that 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  69 

grandeur  and  sublimity  of  character  sometimes  found  among  the  savages  of 
the  American  forests.  He  had  jealously  watched  the  progress  of  the  English 
arms,  and  their  rapid  encroachments  upon  the  lands  ot  his  people. 

When  Pontiac  first  heard  of  the  approach  of  Rogers  with  a  detachment  of 
English  troops,  he  roused  like  a  lion  from  his  den,  and  dispatched  a  messenger, 
who  met  Rogers  on  the  7th  of  November,  at  the  mouth  of  Chocage  River, 
with  a  request  to  halt  until  Pontiac,  the  king  of  the  country,  should  come  up. 
At  the  first  salutation,  Pontiac  demanded  of  Rogers,  the  business  on  which  he 
came,  and  asked  him  how  he  dared  to  enter  his  country  without  his  permission. 
He  was  informed  by  Rogers,  that  he  had  no  design  against  the  Indians;  his 
only  object  being  to  remove  the  French  out  of  the  country,  who  had  been  an 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  mutual  peace  and  commerce  between  the  Indians  and 
English.  The  next  morning,  Pontiac  and  the  English  commander,  by  turns, 
smoked  the  calumet,  and  Pontiac  informed  Rogers  that  he  should  protect  his 
party  against  the  attacks  of  the  Indians  who  were  collected  to  oppose  his 
progress,  at  the  mouth  of  Detroit  River. 

Rogers  having  obtained  peaceable  possession  of  Detroit,  made  peace  with 
the  neighboring  tribes,  and  leaving  Capt.  Campbell  in  charge  of  the  fort, 
departed  on  the  21st  of  December,  for  Pittsburgh. 

The  Indians  in  this  region,  at  first,  regarded  the  English  as  intruders,  and 
the  smile  which  played  upon  the  countenance  of  Pontiac  when  he  first  met 
the  detachment  of  Rogers  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  only  tended  to  conceal 
a  settled  hatred — as  the  setting  sunbeam  bedazzles  the  distant  thundercloud. 
He  had  made  professions  of  friendship  to  the  English  as  a  matter  of  policy, 
until  he  could  have  time  to  plot  their  destruction. 

The  plan  of  operations  adopted  by  Pontiac  for  effecting  the  extinction  of 
the  English  power,  evinced  extraordinary  genius,  courage  and  energy  of  the 
highest  order.  It  was  a  sudden  and  cotemporaneous  attack  upon  all  the 
British  posts  upon  the  Lakes — at  St.  Joseph,  Ouiatenon,  Green  Bay, 
Michilimackinac,  Detroit,  the  Maumee  and  the  Sandusky — and  also  upon 
the  forts  at  Niagara,  Presque  Isle,  Le  Bceuf,  Venango  and  Pittsburgh ;  the 
last  four  of  which  were  in  Western  Pennsylvania.  If  the  surprise  could  be 
simultaneous,  so  that  every  English  banner  which  waved  upon  a  line  of 
thousands  of  miles,  should  be  prostrated  at  the  same  moment,  the  garrisons 
would  be  unable  to  exchange  assistance;  while  on  the  other  hand,  the  failure- 
of  one  Indian  detachment  would  have  no  effect  to  discourage  the  other. 
Probably,  the  war  might  begin  and  terminate  with  the  same  single  blow  ;  and 
then  Pontiac  would  again  be  the  Lord  and  King  of  the  broad  land  of  his 
ancestors. 

He  first  called  together  the  Ottawas,  and  the  plan  was  disclosed  and 
enforced  with  all  the  cunning  and  eloquence  he  could  master.  He  appealed 
to  their  fears,  their  hopes,  their  ambition,  their  patriotism,  their  hatred  of  the 
English,  and  their  love  for  the  French.  Having  warmly  engaged  them  to  the 
cause,  he  assembled  a  grand  council  of  the  neighboring  tribes,  at  the  River 
Aux  Ecorces.  With  a  profound  knowledge  of  the  Indian  character,  aware 
of  the  great  powers  of  superstition  over  their  minds,  he  related,  among  other 
things,  a  dream,  in  which  he  said  the  Great  Spirit  had  secretly  disclosed  to  a 
Delaware  Indian,  the  conduct  he  expected  his  red  children  to  pursue.  This 
dream  was  strikingly  coincident  with  the  plans  and  projects  of  the  chieftain 
himself.  "  And  why,"  concluded  the  orator,  "  why,  said  the  Great  Spirit 
indignantly  to  the  Delaware,  do  you  suffer  those  dogs  in  red  clothing  to  enter 
-our  country,  and  take  the  land  I  have  given  you?  Drive  them  from  it! 

rive  them!     When  you  are  in  distress,  1  will  help  you." 

The  effect  of  this  speech  was  indescribable.     The  name  of  Pontiac  alone 
9 


70  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

was  a  hcst ;  but  the  Great  Spirit  was  for  them — it  was  impossible  to  tail.  A 
plan  of  campaign  was  concerted  on  the  spot,  and  for  a  thousand  miles,  on  the 
lake  frontiers,  and  even  down  to  the  borders  of  North  Carolina,  the  tribes 
joined  in  the  grand  conspiracy. 

Meanwhile,  peace  reigned  on  the  frontiers.  The  unsuspecting  traders 
journeyed  from  village  to  village ;  the  soldiers  in  the  forts  shrunk  from  the 
sun  of  early  summer,  and  dozed  away  the  day;  the  frontier  settler  singing  in 
fancied  security,  sowed  his  crop,  or  watching  the  sun  set  through  the  girdled 
trees,  mused  upon  one  more  peaceful  harvest,  and  told  his  children  of  the 
horrors  of  the  long  war,  now — thank  God ! — over.  From  the  Alleghanies  to 
the  Mississippi,  the  trees  had  leaved,  and  all  was  calm  life,  and  joy.  But 
even  then,  through  the  gloomy  forests,  journeyed  bands  of  sullen  red  men — 
like  the  gathering  of  dark  clouds  for  a  horrid  tempest. 

Surprise  of  the  English  Forts. — The  Maumee  post,  Presque  Isle,  Niagara, 
Pitt,  Ligonier,  and  every  English  fort,  was  hemmed  in  by  mingled  tribes.  At 
last,  the  day  came.  The  traders  everywhere  were  seized  with  their  goods, 
and  more  than  one  hundred  put  to  death.  Nine  British  torts  yielded  instantly, 
and  the  savages  drank,  "scooped  up  in  the  hollow  of  joined  hands,"  the  blood 
of  many  a  Briton.  More  than  twenty  thousand  people  were  driven  from  their 
homes,  and  horrible,  unparalleled  devastations  committed  on  the  frontiers  of 
Virginia,  Pennsylvania  and  New  York.  Most,  if  not  all  of  the  forts  which  fell, 
were  taken  by  stratagem — preconcerted  by  the  master  mind  of  Pontiac. 
Generally,  the  commanders  were  first  secured  by  parties  admitted  into  the 
forts  under  the  pretense  of  business  or  friendship.  At  Maumee,  the  officer 
was  betrayed  by  a  squaw,  who,  by  piteous  entreaties,  persuaded  him  to  go 
some  two  hundred  yards  with  her  to  the  succor,  as  she  stated,  of  a  wounded 
man  who  was  dying;  the  Indians  waylaid  and  shot  him. 

In  some  few  of  the  forts,  individuals  escaped ;  but  too  generally  all  were 
massacred.  At  Presque  Isle,  three  Indians  appeared  in  holiday  dress,  and 
persuaded  the  commander  and  clerk  to  accompany  them  to  the  canoes  of  their 
hunting  party,  as  they  said,  about  a  mile  distant,  to  examine  and  purchase  a 
lot  of  peltries.  In  their  absence,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  Indians  advanced 
toward  the  fort,  each  with  a  bundle  of  furs  on  his  back,  which  thev  stated 
the  commandant  had  bought  and  ordered  them  to  bring  in.  The  siratagem 
succeeded.  When  they  were  all  within  the  fort,  the  work  of  an  instant 
threw  otf  the  packs  and  the  short  cloaks  which  covered  their  tomahawks, 
scalping-knives  and  rifles,  the  last  having  been  sawed  off  short  for  concealment. 
Resistance  was  useless,  and  the  work  ot  death  and  torture  rapidly  proceeded, 
until  all,  except  two  of  the  inmates  of  the  garrison,  had  passed  to  the  eternal 
world. 

The  forts  of  Bedford,  Ligonier,  Pitt  and  Detroit,  were  saved  with  great 
difficulty.  The  Indians  invested  Fort  Pitt  with  a  strong  force;  information 
of  which  having  been  conveyed  to  Lord  Amherst,  he  dispatched  Col.  Boquet 
to  its  relief  with  two  regiments  of  regulars.  He  was  fiercely  attacked  at 
Bushy  Run,  by  the  Indians,  and  lost  over  one  hundred  men  in  killed  and 
wounded;  but  he  defeated  the  savages,  though  with  great  difficulty,  and 
succeeded  in  saving  the  fort.  Fort  Ligonier  was  bravely  defended  by  Lieut. 
Blane  and  his  little  garrison. 

Massacre  at  Michilimackinac. — The  particulars  of  the  taking  of  Michili- 
mackinac  are  more  fully  known.  That  fort,  standing  on  the  south  side  of 
the  strait  connecting  Lakes  Huron  and  Michigan,  was  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant pos*  on  the  frontier.  It  was  the  great  place  of  deposit  and  departure 
between  ne  upper  and  lower  countries,  the  great  assembling  point  of  the 
Indian  raders,  on  their  voyages  to  and  from  Montreal.  There  were  about 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  71 

thirty  houses  and  families  within  the  enclosure  of  the  stockade  and  the  gar. 
rison,  under  the  command  of  Major  Etherington,  numbered  between  ninety 
and  one  hundred  men. 

The  capture  of  this  important  station  was  intrusted  to  the  Chippewas,  as- 
sisted by  the  Sacs.  The  King's  birth-day,  the  3d  of  June,  having  arrived, 
a  game  of  baggatiway  was  proposed  by  the  Indians.  This  is  played  with  a 
bat  and  ball; 'the  former  being  about  four  feet  long,  curved,  and  terminating 
in  a  sort  of  racket.  Two  posts  are  placed  in  the  ground,  half  a  mile  or  a 
mile  apart.  Each  party  has  its  post,  and  the  game  consists  in  throwing  up 
to  the  adversary's  post,  the  ball  which  at  the  beginning  is  placed  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  course. 

The  policy  of  this  expedient  for  surprising  the  garrison  will  appear  clearly, 
when  it  is  understood  that  the  game  is  necessarily  attended  with  much  vio- 
lence and  noise,  and  in  the  ardor  and  heat  of  the  contest  would  be  diverted 
in  any  direction  that  the  successful  party  should  choose.  The  design  of  the 
Indians  in  this  case  was  to  throw  the  ball  over  the  pickets,  and  in  the  excite- 
ment of  the  game,  it  was  but  natural  that  all  the  Indians  should  rush  after  it. 
The  Indians  had  persuaded  as  many  as  possible  of  the  garrison  and  settlers 
to  come  voluntarily  without  the  pickets  for  the  purpose  of  witnessing  the 
game  which  was  said  to  be  played  for  a  high  wager.  Among  these  was 
Major  Etherington,  the  commandant,  who  laid  a  wager  on  the  side  of  the 
Chippewas.  Not  fewer  than  four  hundred  Indians  were  engaged  on  both 
sides,  and  consequently,  when  possession  of  the  fort  was  once  gained,  the 
situation  of  the  English  must  be  desperate  indeed.  The  match  commenced 
without  the  fort  with  great  animation.  Henry,  an  Indian  trader,  who  gives 
the  account,  had  been  occupied  within  the  fort  about  half  an  hour  writing, 
when  he  suddenly  heard  a  loud  Indian  war-cry,  and  a  noise  of  general  con- 
fusion. Going  instantly  to  his  window,  he  saw  a  crowd  of  Indians  within 
the  fort,  furiously  cutting  down  and  scalping  every  Englishman  they  found: 
and  he  could  plainly  witness  the  last  struggles  of  some  of  his  particular  ac- 
quaintances. 

He  had  in  the  room  a  fowling-piece  loaded  with  swan  shot.  This  he 
immediately  seized  and  held  it  for  a  few  minutes,  expecting  to  hear  the 
fort  drum  beat  to  arms.  In  this  dreadful  interval,  he  saw  several  of  his 
countrymen  fall ;  and  more  than  one  struggling  between  the  knees  of  the 
savages,  who,  holding  them  in  this  manner,  scalped  them  while  yet  alive. 
At  length,  disappointed  in  the  hope  of  seeing  any  resistance  made  on  the  part 
of  the  garrison,  and  sensible  that  no  effort  of  his  single  arm  could  avail  against 
four  hundred  Indians,  he  turned  his  attention  to  his  own  safety.  Seeing  sev- 
eral of  the  Canadian  villagers  looking  out  composedly  upon  the  scene  of  blood — 
neither  opposing  the  Indians,  nor  molested  by  them — he  conceived  the  hope 
of  finding  security  in  one  of  their  houses.  He  immediately  climbed  over  a 
low  fence,  separating  his  door  yard  and  that  of  his  next  neighbor,  Monsieur 
Langlade.  Entering  his  house  precipitately,  he  found  the  whole  family  gazing 
upon  the  horrible  spectacle  before  them.  He  begged  M.  Langlade  to  put 
him  in  some  place  of  safety  until  the  heat  of  the  affair  should  be  over,  an  act 
of  charity  which  might  preserve  him  from  the  general  massacre.  Langlade 
looked  at  him  for  a  moment  while  he  spoke,  and  then  turned  again  to  the 
window,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  and  intimating  that  he  could  do  nothing 
for  him. 

Henry  was  now  ready  to  despair;  but  at  this  moment,  a  Pani  woman,  a 
slave  of  M.  Langlade,  beckoned  him  to  follow  her.  She  guided  him  to  a 
door  which  she  opened,  desiring  him  to  enter,  and  telling  him  that  it  led  to 
the  garret,  where  he  must  go  and  conceal  himself.  Scarcely  yet  lodged  in 


72  HISTORICAL   EVENTS-REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

this  shelter,  such  as  it  was,  Henry  felt  an  eager  desire  to  know  what  was 
passing  without.  His  desire  was  more  than  satisfied  by  his  finding  an  aper- 
ture in  the  loose  board  walls  of  the  house,  which  afforded  him  a  full  view  of 
the  area  of  the  fort.  Here  he  beheld  with  horror,  in  shapes  the  foulest  and 
most  terrible,  the  ferocious  triumphs  of  the  savages.  The  dead  were  scalped 
and  mangled ;  the  dying  were  writhing  and  shrieking  under  the  unsatiated 
Knife  and  the  reeking  tomahawk;  and  from  the  bodies  of  some  ripped  open,  their 
butchers  were  drinking  the  blood,  scooped  up  in  the  hollow  of  joined  hands, 
and  quaffed  amid  shouts  of  rage  and  victory.  In  a  few  minutes,  which  seemed 
to  Henry  scarcely  one,  every  victim,  who  could  be  found,  being  destroyed, 
there  was  a  general  cry  of  "  all  is  finished ;"  and  at  this  moment,  Henry 
heard  some  of  the  savages  enter  Langlade's  house.  He  trembled  and  grew 
faint  with  fear.  , 

As  the  floor  'consisted  only  of  a  single  layer  of  boards,  he  overheard  every- 
thing that  passed.  The  Indians  inquired,  on  entering,if  there  were  any  English- 
men about.  M.  Langlade  replied,  that  he  could  not  say — he  did  not  know 
of  any — as  in  fact  he  did  not — "they  could  search  for  themselves,  and  be 
satisfied."  The  state  of  Henry's  mind  may  be  imagined,  when  immediately 
upon  this  reply,  the  Indians  were  brought  to  the  garret  door.  Luckily  some 
delay  was  occasioned — through  the  management  of  the  Pani  woman — she 
had  locked  the  door,  and  perhaps  it  was  by  the  absence  of  the  key.  Henry 
had  sufficient  presence  of  mind  to  improve  these  few  moments  in  looking  for 
a  hiding-place.  This.he  found  in  the  corner  of  the  garret,  among  a  heap  of 
such  birch  bark  vessels  as  are  used  in  making  maple  sugar;  and  he  had  not 
completely  concealed  himself  when  the  door  opened,  and  four  Indians  en- 
tered, all  armed  with  tomahawks,  and  all  besmeared  with  blood  from  head  to 
foot. 

The  die  appeared  to  be  cast.  Henry  could  scarcely  breathe,  and  he  thought 
that  the  throbbing  of  his  heart  occasioned  a  noise  loud  enough  to  betray  him. 
The  Indians  walked  about  the  garret  in  every  direction;  and  one  of  them 
approached  him  so  closely,  that  at  one  moment,  had  he  put  forth  his  hand, 
he  must  have  touched  him.  Favored,  however,  by  the  dark  color  of  his 
clothes,  and  the  want  of  light  in  the  room,  which  had  no  window,  he  still 
remained  unseen.  The  Indians  took  several  turns  about  the  room — enter- 
taining M.  Langlade  all  the  while  with  a  minute  account  of  the  proceedings 
of  the  day;  and  at  last  returned  down  stairs.  There  was  at  the  time  a  mat 
in  the  room,  and  Henry  fell  asleep;  and  he  was  finally  awakened  by  the  wife 
of  Langlade,  who  had  gone  up  to  stop  a  hole  in  the  roof.  She  was  sur- 
prised to  see  him  there — remarked  that  the  Indians  had  killed  most  of  the 
English,  but  that  he  might  hope  to  escape.  He  lay  there  during  the  night. 

At  length  the  wife  of  Langlade  informed  the  Indians  of  Henry's  concealment, 
fearing,  as  she  subsequently  alleged,  that  if  they  should  find  him  secreted  in 
her  house,  they  would  destroy  her  and  her  children.  Unlocking  the  door, 
she  was  followed  by  half  a  dozen  savages,  naked  down  to  their  waist,  and 
intoxicated.  On  entering,  their  chief,  Wenniway,  a  ferocious  savage,  of 
gigantic  stature,  advanced  with  lips  compressed,  seized  Henry  by  one  hand, 
and  with  the  other  held  a  large  carving-knife,  as  if  to  plunge  it  into  his  heart, 
while  his  eyes  were  steadfastly  fixed  on  his.  Gazing  for  a  moment,  he  drop- 
ped his  arm  and  said,  "  I  won't  kill  you."  He  then  at  once  adopted  him  in 
the  place  of  a  brother  whom  he  had  lost  in  the  wars  with  the  English,  and 
Henry  was  eventually  ransomed. 

Seventy  of  the  troops  were  massacred,  and  of  these  the  bodies  of  several 
were  boiled  and  eaten.  The  remainder,  together  with  those  taken  at  the 
fall  of  forts,  St.  Joseph,  and  Green  Bay,  were  restored  after  the  war. 


FRONTIER  LIFE—NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  73 

Siege  of  Detroit — Detroit  was  a  more  important  situation  even  than 
Michilimackinac.  Beside,  an  immense  quantity  of  valuable  goods,  to  the 
amount,  it  is  stated,  of  over  two  millions  pf  dollars,  was  known  to  be  stored 
there.  If  captured,  it  would  unite  the  hitherto  separate  lines  of  operation, 
pursued  by  the  Indian  tribes,  above  and  below.  Under  these  circumstances, 
its  reduction  was  undertaken  by  Pontiac  in  person.  The  garrison  numbered 
one  hundred  and  thirty,  including  officers,  beside  whom  there  were  something 
like  forty  individuals  in  the  village  engaged  in  the  fur  trade. 

Such  was  the  situation  of  Detroit  when  the  Ottawa  chieftain,  having 
completed  his  arrangements  on  the  8th  of  May,  presented  himself  at  the  gates 
of  the  town  with  a  torce  of  about  three  hundred  Indians,  chiefly  Ottawas  and 
Chippewas,  and  requested  a  council  with  Major  Gladwyn,  the  commandant. 
He  expected,  under  this  pretext,  to  gain  admittance  for  himself  and  a 
considerable  number  of  attendants,  who  accordingly  were  provided  with  rifles, 
sawed  off  so  short  as  to  be  concealed  under  their  blankets.  At  a  given  signal, 
which  was  to  be  the  presentation  of  a  wampum  belt,  in  a  particular  manner, 
by  Pontiac,  to  the  commandant,  during  the  conference,  the  armed  Indians 
were  to  massacre  all  the  officers,  then  open  the  gates  to  admit  the  main  body 
of  the  warriors,  who  were  to  be  waiting  without  for  the  completion  of  the 
slaughter  and  destruction  of  the  fort. 

An  Indian  woman  betrayed  the  secret.  She  had  been  employed  by  the 
commandant  to  make  him  a  pair  of  moccasins  out  of  elk  skin,  and  brought 
them  into  the  fort  finished,  on  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  Pontiac  made 
his  appearance  and  application  for  a  council.  The  Major  paid  her  generously, 
requested  her  to  make  more  from  the  residue  of  the  skin,  and  then  dismissed 
her.  She  went  to  the  outer  door,  but  there  stopped  and  loitered  about,  as  if 
her  errand  was  still  unperformed.  A  servant  asked  her  what  she  wanted,  but 
she  made  no  answer.  The  Major  himself  observed  her,  and  ordered  her  to 
be  called  in,  when,  after  some  hesitation,  she  replied  to  his  inquiries,  that  as 
he  had  always  treated  her  kindly,  she  did  not  like  to  take  away  the  elk 
skin  which  he  valued  so  highly — she  could  never  bring  it  back.  The 
commandant's  curiosity  was,  of  course,  excited,  and  he  pressed  the  examination 
until  the  woman  at  length  disclosed  everything  which  had  come  to  her 
knowledge. 

Her  information  was  not  received  with  implicit  credulity,  but  the  Major 
thought  it  prudent  to  employ  the  night  in  taking  active  measures  for  defense. 
A  strict  guard  was  kept  upon  the  ramparts  during  the  night,  it  being 
apprehended  that  the  Indians  might  anticipate  the  preparations  now  known 
to  have  been  made  for  the  next  day.  Nothing,  however,  was  heard  after  dark, 
except  the  sound  of  singing  and  dancing  in  the  Indian  camp,  which  they 
always  indulged  in  upon  the  eve  of  any  great  enterprise. 

In  the  morning,  Pontiac  and  his  warriors  sang  their  war  song,  and  danced 
their  war  dance,  and  then  repaired  to  the  fort.  They  were  admitted  without 
hesitation,  and  conducted  to  the  council  house,  where  Major  Gladwyn  and 
his  officers  were  prepared  to  receive  them.  They  perceived  at  the  gate,  and 
as  they  passed  through  the  streets,  an  unusual  activity  and  movement  among 
the  troops.  The  garrison  was  under  arms,  the  guards  were  doubled,  and  the 
officers  were  armed  with  swords  and  pistols.  Pontiac  inquired  of  the  British 
commander,  what  was  the  cause  of  this  unusual  appearance.  He  answered 
that  it  was  proper  to  keep  the  young  men  to  their  duty,  lest  they  should 
become  idle  and  ignorant.  The  business  of  the  council  then  commenced,  and 
Pontiac  proceeded  to  address  Major  Gladwyn.  His  speech  was  bold  and 
menacing,  and  his  manner  and  gesticulations  vehement,  and  they  became  still 
more  so,  as  he  approached  the  critical  moment.  When  he  was  upon  the 


74  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

point  of  presenting  the  belt  to  Major  Gladwyn,  and  all  was  breathless 
expectation,  the  drums  at  the  door  of  the  council  house  suddenly  rolled  the 
charge,  the  guards  leveled  their  pieces,  and  the  officers  drew  their  swords 
from  their  scabbards.  Pontiac,  whose  eagle  eye  had  never  quailed  in  battle, 
turned  pale  and  trembled.  This  unexpected  and  decisive  proof  that  his 
treachery  was  discovered,  entirely  disconcerted  him.  He  delivered  the  belt  in 
the  usual  manner,  and  thus  failed  to  give  his  party  the  concerted  signal  of 
attack ;  while  his  warriors  stood  looking  at  each  other  in  astonishment,  Major 
Gladwyn  immediately  approached  Pontiac,  and  drawing  aside  his  blanket, 
discovered  the  shortened  rifle,  and  then,  after  stating  his  knowledge  of  his 
plan,  advised  him  to  leave  the  fort  before  his  young  men  should  discover  their 
aesign  and  massacre  them.  He  assured  him,  as  he  had  promised  him  safety, 
that  his  person  should  be  held  unharmed  until  he  had  advanced  beyond  the 
pickets.  The  Indians  immediately  retired,  and  as  soon  as  they  had  passed 
the  gate,  they  gave  the  yell  and  fired  upon  the  garrison.  Several  persons 
living  without  the  fort,  were  then  murdered,  and  hostilities  commenced. 

The  cannibalism  of  the  savages  at  this  time,  may  be  learned  from  the  fact, 
that  a  respectable  Frenchman  was  invited  to  their  camp  to  partake  of  some 
soup.  Having  finished  his  repast,  he  was  told  that  he  had  eaten  a  part  of  an 
English  woman,  a  Mrs.  Turnbell,  who  had  been  among  the  victims ;  a 
knowledge  that,  probably,  did  not  improve  his  digestion. 

The  savages  soon  stationed  themselves  behind  the  buildings,  outside  the 
pickets,  and  kept  a  constant,  though  ineffectual  fire  upon  the  garrison.  All 
the  means  which  the  savage  mind  could  suggest,  were  employed  by  Pontiac 
to  demolish  the  settlement  of  Detroit.  During  the  siege,  which  lasted  more 
than  two  months,  the  savages  endeavored  to  make  a  breach  in  the  pickets, 
and  aided  by  Gladwyn,  who,  as  a  stratagem,  had  ordered  his  men  to  cut  also 
on  the  inside ;  this  was  soon  accomplished,  and  the  breach  immediately  filled 
with  Indians.  At  this  instant,  a  cannon  was  discharged  upon  the  advancing 
savages,  which  made  destructive  havoc.  After  that  period,  the  fort  was 
merely  invested;  supplies  were  cut  off,  and  the  English  were  reduced  to  great 
distress  from  the  diminution  of  their  rations,  and  the  constant  watchfulness 
required  to  prevent  surprise. 

While  the  siege  was  in  progress,  twenty  batteaux,  with  ninety-seven  troops 
and  stores,  on  their  way  from  Niagara  to  Detroit,  arrived  at  Point  Pelee,  on 
Lake  Erie,  about  fifty  miles  easterly  from  Detroit.  Apprehending  no  danger,' 
the  troops  landed  and  encamped.  The  Indians,  who  had  watched  their 
movements,  attacked  them  about  dawn  of  day,  and  massacred  or  took  prisoners 
all,  except  thirty,  who  succeeded  in  escaping,  in  a  barge,  across  the  lake  to 
Sandusky  Bay.  The  Indians  placed  their  prisoners  in  the  batteaux,  and 
compelled  them  to  navigate  them  on  the  Canadian  side  of  the  lake  and  river, 
toward  Detroit.  As  the  fleet  of  boats  was  discovered  coming  around  the 
point  of  the  Huron  church,  the  English  assembled  on  the  ramparts  to  witness 
the  arrival  of  their  friends ;  but  they  were  only  greeted  by  the  death  song  of 
the  savages,  which  announced  their  fate.  The  light  of  hope  flickered  on 
their  countenances  only  to  be  clouded  with  the  thick  darkness  of  despair.  It 
was  their  bar^os;  but  ihny  were  in  possession  of  the  savages,  and  filled  with 
the  scalps  and  prisoners  of  the  detachment.  The  prisoners,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  who  escaped  when  opposite  the  town,  were  taken  to  Hog  Island, 
above  Detroit,  massacred  and  scalped. 

A  few  weeks  after,  a  vessel  from  Niagara  with  sixty  troops,  provisions  and 
arms,  entered  Detroit  River.  For  the  purpose  of  boarding  her  as  she 
ascended,  the  Indians  repaired  to  Fighting  Island,  just  below  the  city,  which 
she  soon  reached,  and  then,  for  want  of  wind,  was  obliged  to  anchor.  The 


• 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  77 

Captain  concealed  his  men  in  the  hold,  and  in  the  evening,  the  Indians 
proceeded  in  silence,  to  board  the  vessel  from  their  canoes,  while  the  men  on 
fcoard  were  required  to  take  their  stations  at  the  guns.  The  Indians  approached 
near  the  side,  when  the  signal  for  a  discharge  was  given  by  a  blow  upon  the 
mast  with  a  hammer.  Many  of  the  Indians  were  killed  and  wounoed,  and 
the  remainder,  panic  stricken,  paddled  away  in  their  canoes  with  all  speed. 
After  this,  Pontiac  endeavored  to  burn  the  vessels  that  lay  anchored  before 
Detroit,  for  which  object,  he  made  an  immense  raft  from  several  barns,  which 
he  pulled  down  for  that  purpose,  and  filled  it  with  pitch  and  other  combustibles. 
It  was  then  towed  up  river  and  set  on  fire,  unaer  the  supposition  that  the 
current  would  float  the  blazing  mass  against  the  vessels.  Trie  English  foiled 
this  attempt  by  anchoring  boats,  connected  by  chains,  above  their  vessels. 

During  the  siege,  the  body  of  the  French  people  around  and  in  Detroit, 
were  neutral.  Pontiac,  in  a  speech  of  great  eloquence  and  power,  endeavored 
to  persuade  them  to  join  his  cause.  But  his  solicitations  did  not  prevail,  and 
shortly  after,  on  the  3d  of  June,  the  French  had  a  double  reason  for 
maintaining  neutrality  in  the  news  which  they  received  of  the  treaty  of  peace, 
by  which  France  ceded  their  country  to  England. 

On  the  29th  of  July,  three  hundred  regular  troops,  under  Captain  Dalyell, 
arrived,  in  gun-boats,  from  Canada.  On  the  night  of  the  30th,  Capt.  Dalyell, 
with  over  two  hundred  men,  attempted  to  surprise  Pontiac's  camp.  That 
chieftain  having,  by  some  means,  been  apprised  of  the  contemplated  attack,  was 
prepared,  and  lay  in  ambush  with  his  Indians,  concealed  behind  high  grass,  at 
the  Bloody  Bridge,  one  and  a  half  miles  above  Detroit.  As  the  English  reached 
the  bridge,  a  sudden  and  destructive  fire  was  poured  upon  them.  This  threw 
them  into  the  utmost  confusion.  The  attack  in  the  darkness,  from  an  invisible 
force,  was  critical.  The  English  fought  desperately,  but  were  obliged  to 
retreat,  with  the  loss  of  their  commander,  and  over  sixty  in  killed  and 
wounded. 

The  operations  of  Pontiac  in  this  quarter,  soon  called  for  the  efficient  aid 
of  government,  and  during  the  season,  General  Bradstreet  arrived  to  the  relief 
of  the  posts  on  the  lakes,  with  an  army  of  three  thousand  men.  The  tribes 
of  Pontiac,  excepting  the  Delawares  and  the  Shawanese,  finding  that  they 
could  not  successfully  compete  with  such  a  force,  laid  down  their  arms  and 
made  peace.  Pontiac,  however,  took  no  part  in  the  negotiation,  and  retired 
to  Illinois,  where  he  was,  a  few  years  after  assassinated  by  an  Indian  of  the 
Peoria  tribe. 


THE  CYPRESS  SWAMPS  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 

IMMENSE  swamps  of  Cypress  constitute  a  vast  portion  of  the  inundated 
lands  of  the  lower  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries.  No  prospect  on  earth  can 
be  more  gloomy.  Well  may  the  cypress  be  esteemed  a  funeral  tree.  When 
the  tree  has  shed  its  leaves,  a  cypress  swamp,  with  its  countless  interlaced 
branches  of  a  hoary  gray,  has  an  aspect  of  desolation  and  death.  In  summer, 
its  fine,  short,  and  deep-green  leaves  invest  these  hoary  branches  with  a 
drapery  of  crape.  The  water  in  which  they  grow  is  a  vast  deep  level,  two 
or  three  feet  deep,  still  leaving  the  innumerable  cypress  "knees,"  as  they  are 
called,  or  very  elliptical  trunks,  resembling  circular  bee-hives,  throwing  their 
|  point  above  the  waters.  This  water  is  covered  with  a  thick  coat  of  green 
matter,  resembling  green  buff  velvet.  The  musquitoes  swarm  above  the 
water  in  countless  millions.  A  very  frequent  adjunct  to  this  horrible  scenery 
is  the  moccasin  snake,  with  its  huge  scaly  body  lying  in  folds  upon  the  side 


78  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

of  a  cypress  knee ;  and  if  you  approach  too  near,  lazy  and  reckless  as  he  is, 
he  throws  the  upper  jaw  of  his  huge  mouth  almost  back  to  his  neck,  giving 
you  ample  warning  of  his  ability  and  will  to  defend  himself.  I  traveled  (says 
Flint,  from  whom  this  sketch  is  derived)  forty  miles  along  a  cypress  swamp, 
and  a  considerable  part  of  the  way  on  the  edge  of  it,  in  which  the  horse  sunk 
at  every  step  half  way  up  to  his  knees.  I  was  enveloped  for  the  whole  dis- 
tance with  a  cloud  of  musquitoes.  Like  the  ancient  Avernus,  I  do  not 
remember  to  have  seen  a  single  bird  in  the  whole  distance,  except  the  blue- 
jay.  Nothing  interrupted  the  deathlike  silence  but  the  hum  of  musquitoes. 

There  cannot  be  well  imagined  another  feature  to  the  gloom  of  these  vast 
and  dismal  forests,  to  finish  this  kind  of  landscape,  more  in  keeping  with  the 
rest,  than  the  long  moss,  or  Spanish  beard,  and  this  funeral  drapery  attaches 
itself  to  the  cypress  in  preference  to  any  other  tree.  There  is  not,  that  I 
know,  an  object  in  nature  which  produces  such  a  number  of  sepulchral  im 
ages  as  the  view  of  the  cypress  forests;  all  shagged,  dark,  and  enveloped  in 
the  festoons  of  moss.  If  you  would  inspire  an  inhabitant  of  New  England, 
possessed  of  the  customary  portion  of  feeling,  with  the  degree  of  home-sick- 
ness that  would  strike  to  the  heart,  transfer  him  instantly  from  the  hill  and 
dale,  the  bracing  air  and  varied  scenery  of  the  north  to  the  cypress  swamps 
of  the  south. 


TYRANNY  OF  O'REILLY,  THE  FIRST  SPANISH  GOVERNOR  OF  LOUISIANA. 

IN  the  latter  part  of  the  French  War,  Spain  joined  with  France  against 
Great  Britain,  through  alarm  at  the  increasing  power  of  Britain  in 
America.  The  consequences  of  this  step  were  very  serious  to  her,  as  by  it 
she  lost  Havana,  the  key  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  "The  treaty  of  Paris,  con- 
cluded in  1763,  restored  Havana  to  Spain,  though  to  regain  it  she  was 
obliged  to  cede  Florida  to  England. 

By  a  secret  article  of  this  treaty,  as  a  compensation  for  the  loss  of  Florida, 
Louis  XV  engaged  to  relinquish  to  Spain  his  remaining  Louisiana  possessions. 
For  awhile  this  was  kept  secret  from  the  people  of  the  colony;  but  when  it 
was  known,  such  was  their  attachment  to  the  mother  country,  that  they  were 
thrown  into  utter  despair.  Several  years  elapsed  ere  Spain  took  formal  pos- 
session. In  the  meantime,  the  colonists  in  vain  sent  commissioners  to  the 
court  of  France  to  have  the  obnoxious  feature  of  the  treaty  annulled. 

In  1766  Don  Ulloa,  who  had  been  appointed  governor  by  Spain,  arrived 
at  New  Orleans,  with  two  companies  of  infantry,  to  take  possession  in  the  name 
of  his  king;  but  actuated  by  an  incomprehensible  obstinacy,  he  refused  to 
show  to  the  Superior  Council  the  proofs  of  his  mission.  At  last  that  body, 
conforming  to  the  wishes  of  the  people,  as  expressed  by  public  meetings  and 
petitions,  insisted  that  Ulloa  should  either  produce  his  credentials  from  the 
Spanish  king,  that  they  might  be  duly  registered  and  promulgated  through  the 
province,  or  leave  it  within  a  month.  The  citizens  took  up  arms,  to  enforce 
the  demand,  and  Ulloa  embarked  his  troops  on  board  of  a  Spanish  vessel  and 
left  the  country. 

In  July  1769,  the  hopes  that  the  colonists  still  entertained  that  France  would 
retain  Louisiana,  were  crushed  by  the  tidings  that  Captain-General  O'Reilly 
was  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  with  a  ileet,  having  on  board  4900  Span 
ish  troops. 

The  colonists  seeing  that  there  was  no  alternative  but  submission,  mad? 
choice  of  three  representatives,  Lafreniere,  Grandmaison,  and  Marent,  to  sig- 
nify to  the  Spanish  commander  tie  submission  of  the  colony;  accompanied 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  79 

by  a  request,  however,  that  those  who  wished  to  leave  the  country  should  be 
allowed  two  years  to  dispose  of  their  property.  O'Reilly  received  the  depu- 
ties with  affability;  assured  them  that  he  should  cheerfully  comply  with  all 
reasonable  demands;  that  those  who  were  willing  to  remain  should  enjoy  a 
mild  and  paternal  government ;  and,  in  regard  to  past  offenses,  the  perfidious 
commander  added  that  he  was  disposed  to  forget  them,  and  had  come,  not  to 
punish,  but  to  pardon. 

This  declaration  somewhat  calmed  the  excitement  of  the  people,  and  they 
prepared  to  receive  the  Spanish  general  with  decent  respect. 

The  next  day  he  landed  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  and  they  marched  in 
battle  array  to  the  parade-ground,  where  Aubry,  with  the  French  garrison, 
was  waiting  to  receive  them.  The  white  flag  of  France,  which  was  waving 
on  a  high  pole,  was  now  slowly  lowered,  and  that  of  Spain  hoisted  in  its 
place,  while  the  troops  of  both  nations  kept  up  an  irregular  discharge  of  small 
arms.  Thus  ended  the  'dominion  of  the  French  on  the  shores  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, where  they  had  ruled  for  seventy  years;  and  Louisiana  became  a  de- 
pendency of  Spain. 

The  new  Spanish  governor  was  by  birth  an  Irishman,  who,  going  to  Spain 
with  a  body  of  Irish  troops,  had  been  so  successful  in  gaining  the  king's  favor 
that  he  loaded  him  with  honors  and  benefits.  He  was  a  small  man,  and  as 
mean  in  disposition  as  in  stature  :  thin  and  lame,  but  with  something  striking, 
though  disagreeable,  in  his  appearance.  He  was  vindictive  in  his  character, 
and  his  ambition  knew  no  bounds.  For  some  unknown  reason,  he  entertain- 
ed a  violent  hatred  against  the  French,  which  led  him  to  acts  of  unexampled 
barbarity.  He  came  to  Louisiana  with  the  title  of  governor,  and  captain-gen- 
eral ;  and  being  clothed  with  unlimited  power,  be  abused  his  short-lived 
authority  in  every  possible  manner.  He  took  upon  him  the  state  of  a  sove- 
reign ;  had  his  throne,  his  levees,  his  guards,  who  constantly  attended  him ; 
and  he  did  not  want  for  courtiers. 

His  first  public  act  was  to  take  the  census  of  the  city.  This  was  soon  done 
as  the  town  contained  only  3190  inhabitants.  He  next  ordered  the  arrest  of 
Foucault,  intendant  of  the  colony,  Lafreniere,  the  attorney -general,  Noyant, 
his  son-in-law,  and  Boisblanc,  both  members  of  the  Superior  Council.  They 
were  attending  the  levee  of  the  tyrant,  when  requesting  them  to  step  into  an 
adjoining  apartment,  he  delivered  them  over  to  a  party  of  soldiers,  who  imme- 
diately put  them  in  irons.  A  few  days  after,  Marquis,  Doucet,  Petit,  Marent, 
Caresse,  Poupet,  and  the  two  Milhets,  were  added  to  the  number  of  prisoners. 

Villere  was  now  the  only  victim  wanting;  and  he  was  the  most  important 
one,  as  he  had  been  at  the  head  of  all  the  most  violent  measures.  It  was  no 
easy  matter  for  O'Reilly  to  get  him  into  his  power,  as,  on  hearing  of  the 
submission  of  New-Orleans,  he  had  retired  to  his  plantation  in  the  parish  of 
St.  Charles,  in  the  midst  of  friends  who  detested  the  Spaniards  no  less  cor- 
dially than  he  did  himself.  He  was,  however,  on  the  point  of  taking  refuge 
with  the  English  at  Manchac,  lest  he  might  implicate  his  neighbors,  when  he 
received  a  letter  from  Aubry,  assuring  him  that  he  might  return  to  New- 
Orleans  without  danger,  and  that  he  would  be  security  for  his  safety. 

On  the  faith  of  this  promise  he  came  to  New-Orleans,  and  fearlessly  pre- 
sented himself  before  the  governor.  But  he  had  no  sooner  entered  the  house 
and  begun  to  mount  the  stairs,  than  the  guards  stationed  there  descended  each 
one  step  as  he  ascended  one,  with  the  design  of  closing  in  after  him.  He 
stopped  for  a  moment  on  the  second  step :  he  was  a  man  of  uncommon  strength 
and  there  were  as  yet  but  two  soldiers  behind  him.  It  was  but  for  a  moment  he 
hesitated ;  with  a  disdainful  smile  he  surveyed  the  living  chain  forming  around 
him,  and  came  into  the  presence  of  the  governor  with  the  air  rather  of  a  su 


80  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

perior  than  of  a  culprit.  O'Reilly,  hardened  as  he  was  in  cruelty,  seemed  to 
reel  some  compunction  at  the  thought  of  murdering  such  a  man. 

Villere  was  accompanied  by  a  friend  who  was  willing  to  share  his  danger. 
This  was  an  old  Swedish  officer  who  had  fought  under  Charles  XII,  and  at 
the  battle  of  Pultowa  had  received  eleven  wounds,  all  in  facing  the  enemy. 
At  the  sight  of  this  venerable  old  man,  whose  gray  hairs  seemed  to  give  a 
sanction  to  the  rebellion,  O'Reilly  flew  into  a  violent  passion,  and  exclaimed, 
"  I  ought  to  hang  you  also  on  the  highest  gibbet  that  can  be  found."  "Do 
so,"  replied  the  old  soldier;  "the  rope  cannot  disgrace  this  neck;"  and, 
baring  his  bosom,  he  exhibited  the  scars  of  his  wounds,  when  the  tyrant 
shrunk  from  the  sight,  and  the  old  man  was  released. 

Villere  was  sent  a  prisoner  on  board  of  a  vessel  at  anchor  in  the  Mississippi. 
He  had  been  there  but  a  short  time,  and  was  in  the  cabin  quietly  conversing 
with  the  captain,  when  a  boat  passed  with  a  female  in  it :  she  was  in  tears, 
and  he  recognized  her  as  his  wife.  She  had  heard  of  his  danger,  and  was 
then  hastening  to  join  him  at  New-Orleans.  His  first  impulse  was  to  make 
himself  known,  and  the  sympathizing  captain  offered  to  hail  the  boat ;  but 
Villere,  recollecting  himself,  prevented  him.  "No,"  said  he;  "the  sudden 
shock  of  seeing  me  in  this  situation  would  kill  her ;"  and  he  remained  calmly 
watching  the  boat  as  it  bore  her  from  his  sight.  But  the  effort  to  repress  his 
feelings  had  been  more  than  he  could  bear ;  the  blood  rushed  to  his  brain ; 
and,  seized  with  sudden  frenzy,  he  flew  to  the  deck  and  attacked  the  Spanish 
guards.  The  captain  followed  in  haste,  and  called  to  the  guards  not  to  injure 
Him ;  but  it  was  too  late :  he  had  already  received  their  bayonets  in  his  body, 
and  only  recovered  his  senses  to  know  that  he  was  dying. 

The  captain,  finding  all  assistance  useless,  could  only  offer  to  fulfill  his  last 
commands.  "Promise  me,  then,"  said  Villere,  "that  you  will  give  these 
blood-stained  garments  to  my  children;  and  tell  them  it  is  my  last  command 
that  they  never  bear  arms  for  Spain  or  against  France."  The  captain  did  as 
he  was  requested,  and  the  children  of  Villere  faithfully  obeyed  the  dying  in- 
junction of  their  father. 

The  other  prisoners  were  immediately  brought  to  trial.  The  charge  against 
them  was  founded  on  a  law  of  Alphonso  XI,  punishing  with  death  and  con- 
fiscation of  property  all  persons  guilty  of  rebellion  against  the  king  or  the 
State ;  or,  in  other  words,  all  who  should  take  up  arms  for  their  rights  and  lib- 
erties; and  accomplices  were  subject  to  the  same  penalties. 

Foucault  and  Brault  maintained  that  they  owed  no  account  of  their  conduct 
but  to  the  King  of  France,  whose  subjects  they  never  ceased  to  be.  The 
first  was  sent  to  Paris,  the  second  acquitted. 

The  other  prisoners  also  pleaded,  but  to  no  purpose,  the  incompetency  of 
the  tribunal  before  which  they  had  been  brought.  In  vain  did  they  allege 
that  they  could  not  be  declared  rebels  against  Spain  for  anything  they  might 
have  done  while  the  French  flag  yet  waved  over  the  colony;  that  they  owed 
no  submission  to  Spain  until  her  representative  had  exhibited  his  credentials; 
and  that  the  prince  who  did  not  yet  protect  had  no  right  to  punish  them. 

Six  victims  had  been  chosen  by  O'Reilly  to  serve  as  an  example  to  the 
province  ;  but  Villere  having  been  assassinated,  he  contented  himself  with 
condemning  five  to  death.  The  testimony  of  two  witnesses  against  each  of 
the  accused  was  necessary  to  give  a  color  of  legality  to  their  condemnation; 
and  these  were  easily  found.  Lafreniere,  Noyant,  Marquis,  Joseph  Milhet, 
and  Caresse  were  sentenced  to  be  hung,  and  their  property  confiscated.  The 
unfortunate  Louisianians  vainly  implored  of  the  inexorable  O'Reilly  a  delay 
that  would  enable  them  to  have  recourse  to  the  royal  clemency.  The  only  favor 
he  could  be  prevailed  on  to  grant  was  the  substitution  of  shooting  for  hanging. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  81 

On  the  28th  of  September,  the  day  appointed  for  the  execution,  ail  the 
troops  were  drawn  up  under  arms  on  the  levee  and  in  the  public  square;  the 
gates  were  closed,  the  posts  all  re-enforced,  and  a  strong  patrol  paraded  through 
the  deserted  streets ;  the  inhabitants  having  all  retired  to  their  houses  the 
evening  before,  that  they  might  not  witness  the  death  of  their  friends.  The 
fivo  victims  were  led  out  into  the  small  square  in  front  of  the  barracks,  where 
they  met  their  fate  with  the  utmost  courage  and  resignation. 

It  was  attempted  to  blindfold  them,  when  Marquis,  a  Swiss  captain  in  the 
service  of  France,  indignantly  opposed  it.  "I  have,"  said  he,  "risked  my 
life  many  a  time  in  the  service  of  my  adopted  country,  and  have  never  feared 
to  face  my  enemies."  And  then,  addressing  his  companions,  "  Let  us,"  he  ex- 
claimed, "die  like  brave  men:  we  need  not  fear  death."  Coolly  taking  a 
pinch  of  snuff,  and  turning  to  the  Spaniards,  he  said,  "  Take  notice,*Spaniards, 
that  we  die  because  we  will  not  cease  to  be  French.  As  for  myself,  though 
a  foreigner  by  birth,  my  heart  belongs  to  France.  For  thirty  years  I  have 
fought  for  Louis  le  bien-aime,  and  I  glory  in  a  death  that  proves  my  attach- 
ment to  him.  Fire,  executioners!" 

The  other  six  prisoners,  Boisblanc,  Doucet,  Marent,  Jean  Milhet,  Petit, 
and  Poupet,  were  sentenced,  the  first  to  imprisonment  for  life,  and  the  others 
for  a  term  of  years.  They  were  sent  to  Havana,  and  confined  in  the  dungeons 
of  the  Moro  Castle. 


DUMORE'S  WAR. 

THE  war  usually  called  Dunmore's,  all  the  events  of  which  were  comprised 
within  a  few  months  of  the  year  1774,  arose  in  consequence  of  cold-blooded 
murders  committed  upon  inoffensive  Indians  by  the  Virginians,  in  the  region 
of  the  Upper  Ohio.  Among  those  murdered  by  Cresap  and  Greathouse,  at  Cap- 
tina  and  Yellow  creek,  in  the  vicinity  of  Wheeling,  was  included  the  whole 
family  of  the  noble,  generous,  and  unfortunate  Logan.  He  had  been  the  stead- 
fast friend  of  the  whites  and  the  advocate  of  peace ;  but  upon  this,  he  seized  the 
hatchet  and  sought  revenge.  The  Shawanee,  on  the  Scioto,  was  the  principal 
tribe  in  the  war,  those  north  and  west  being  in  alliance  with  it.  As  soon  as 
these  murders  were  known,  their  revenge  and  fury  knew  no  bounds,  and  all 
manner  of  savage  barbarities  were  committed  upon  the  frontier  settlements. 
Their  operations  were  mainly  directed  against  the  Virginians,  as  the  authori- 
ties of  Pennsylvania  had  taken  the  precaution  to  dispatch  messengers  to 
them,  stating  that  these  outrages  had  been  committed  by  Virginians;  and 
that,  therefore,  the  settlers  on  the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania  were  not  the 
proper  objects  of  revenge. 

Upon  the  first  outbreak  of  hostilities,  consternation  spread  throughout  the 
frontiers:  some  families  fled  to  the  mountains,  others  sought  safety  in  forts 
and  stations; 

The  Colonial  legislature  of  Virginia,  then  in  session,  promptly  made  pro- 
visions for  the  emergency.  While  a  larger  force  was  collecting  in  eastern 
Virginia,  four  hundred  volunteers  from  the  Monongahela  and  Youghiogheny, 
rendezvoused  at  Wheeling,  in  June,  under  Colonel  Angus  McDonald.  He 
invaded  the  Indian  country  on  the  Muskingum,  and  destroyed  the  Wappa- 
tomica  towns  on  that  river,  a  few  miles  above  the  site  of  Zanesville.  This 
expedition  only  served  to  further  exasperate  the  Indians. 

By  September,  Lord  Dunmore,  the  Royal  Governor  of  Virginia,  had  col- 
lected a  force  of  about  three  thousand  men.  destined  for  the  reduction  of  the 
Shawanee  towns  on  the  Scioto.  This  force  was  in  two  divisions.  The 


82  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

southern,  comprising  about  eleven  hundred  men,  under  Colonel  Andrew 
Lewis,  collected  in  the  Greenbrier  country.  They  were  ordered  to  march 
down  the  Great  Kanawhato  the  Ohio,  and  there  to  join  the  northern  division, 
while  the  latter,  under  command  of  Dunmore,  in  person,  was  to  pass  the 
mountains  at  Cumberland,  strike  the  Ohio  at  Wheeling,  and  descend  in  boats 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Kanawha,  the  point  in  junction. 

On  the  6th  of  October,  Lewis  arrived  with  his  division  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Kanawha,  on  the  site  of  the  village  of  Point  Pleasant,  and  encamped, 
awaiting  orders.  On  the  9th,  messengers  arrived  in  camp  from  Dunmore,  the 
commander-in-chief,  stating  that  his  lordship  had  arrived  with  his  division 
at  Wheeling,  and  had  so  tar  changed  his  plan  of  operations  as  to  descend 
only  to  the  mouth  of  the  Hocking,  twenty-eight  miles  above  Point  Pleasant, 
from  which  point  he  was  to  march  across  the  country  to  the  Indian  towns 
on  the  Scioto,  where  Lewis  was  ordered  to  join  him.  Preparations  were  im- 
mediately made  for  the  transportation  of  the  troops  across  the  Ohio., 

The,  Battle  of  Point  Pleasant. — Early  on  the  succeeding  morning,  the 
10th  of  October,  two  soldiers  left  the  camp  and  proceeded  up  the  Ohio  River 
in  quest  of  deer.  When  they  had  progressed  about  two  miles,  they  unex- 
pectedly came  upon  a  large  body  of  Indians,  who,  discovering  them,  fired 
and  killed  one,  while  the  other  made  his  escape  to  camp  with  the  intelligence. 
The  main  part  of  the  army  was  ordered  out,  and  when  they  had  marched  in 
two  lines,  under  the  command  of  Colonels  Charles  Lewis  and  Wm.  Fleming, 
at  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  they  were  met  and  charged  by  the  In- 
dians. At  the  first  onset,  Lewis  fell,  and  Fleming  was  wounded,  upon  which 
both  lines  gave  way  and  were  retreating,  when  they  were  reinforced  by  Col. 
Field,  and  rallied.  The  engagement  then  became  general,  and  was  sustained 
with  obstinate  fury  on  both  sides.  The  Indians  formed  in  a  line  across  the 
point  from  the  Ohio  to  the  Kanawha,  and  were  protected  in  front  by  logs  and 
fallen  timber.  In  this  situation  they  maintained  the  contest  with  unabated 
vigor,  from  sunrise  until  near  sunset,  bravely  resisting  successive  charges, 
which  were  made  with  great  impetuosity  by  the  Virginians. 

The  Indians  were  under  the  command  of  that  distinguished  and  consummate 
chieftain,  Cornstalk,  His  plan  of  alternate  retreat  and  attack  was  well  con- 
ceived, and  occasioned  the  principal  loss  of  the  whites.  If  at  any  time  his 
warriors  were  believed  to  waver,  his  voice  could  be  heard  above  the  din  of 
arms,  exclaiming  in  his  native  tongue,  "be  strong!  be  strong!"  A  warrior 
near  him  showed  trepidation  and  reluctance  to  charge,  fearing  the  influence 
of  his  pernicious  example,  he  cleft  his  skull  open  with  his  tomahawk. 

Gen.  Lewis,  seeing  it  impossible  to  dislodge  the  Indians  by  the  most 
vigorous  attacks,  and  aware  of  the  great  danger  that  must  arise  to  his  army 
if  the  contest  was  not  decided  before  night,  detached  three  companies,  who 
followed  up  under  the  bank  of  the  Kanawha  under  the  covert  of  the  weeds 
and  brush  beyond  the  upper  end  of  the  Indian  line,  and  from  thence  gained 
the  rear  of  the  savages,  and  made  an  attack.  The  enemy,  suddenly  finding 
themselves  encompassed  on  both  sides,  and  supposing  that  in  their  rear  was 
an  expected  reinforcement  under  Col.  Christian,  soon  gave  way,  and  about 
sundown,  precipitately  crossed  the  Ohio  and  made  their  way  to  their  towns 
on  the  Scioto.  The  victory  was  dearly  bought  to  the  Virginians,  two  hundred 
and  fifteen  being  killed  and  wounded,  among  whom  were  many  valuable 
officers.  The  number  of  the  enemy  or  their  loss  was  never  ascertained. 
They  probably  numbered  about  one  thousand  warriors,  the  flower  of  the 
Shawanee,  Delaware,  Mingo,  and  Wyandot  tribes. 

This  battle  was  the  most  bloody  ever  fought  with  the  Indians  within  the 
limits  of  Virginia.  Its  sanguinary  nature  made  it  long  remembered  among 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC. 


83 


the  borderers,  and  its  history  is  given  in  a  rude  song,  which  is  even  heard  to 
the  present  day  among  the  mountain  cabins  of  that  region: 


Let  us  mind  the  tenth  day  of  October, 
Seventy-four,  which  caused  woe, 

The  Indian  savages  they  did  cover 
The  pleasant  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

The  battle  beginning  in  the  morning, 
Throughout  the  day  it  lashed  sore, 

Till  the  evening  shades  were  returning  down 
Upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

Judgment  precedes  to  execution, 
Let  fame  throughout  all  dangers  go, 

Our  heroes  fought  with  resolution, 
Upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

Seven  score  lay  dead  and  wounded 
Of  champions  that  did  face  their  foe, 


By  which  the  heathen  were  confounded, 
Upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

Col.  Lewis  and  some  noble  captains 
Did  down  to  death  like  Uriah  go, 

Alas  !  their  heads  wound  up  in  nupkins, 
Upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio 

Kings  lamented  their  mighty  fallen 
Upon  the  mountains  of  Gilboa, 

And  now  we  mourn  for  brave  Hugh  Allen, 
Far  from  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 

O  bless  the  mighty  King  of  Heaven 
For  all  his  wondrous  works  below, 

Who  hath  to  us  the  victory  given, 
Upon  the  banks  of  the  Ohio. 


Meanwhile  Dunmore  had  descended  the  Ohio  to  the  mouth  of  the  Hock- 
insj,  where  he  erected  Fort  Gower.  From  thence  he  marched  toward  the 
Indian  towns  on  the  Scioto,  about  four  miles  youth  of  the  site  of  Circleville, 
and  thirty  from  that  of  Columbus.  Lewis  with  his  army  pushed  forward  to 
the  same  point,  maddened  by  the  loss  of  so  many  brave  men,  and  anxious  to 
avenge  their  fate  by  the  annihilation  of  the  Shawanee  villages.  But  before 
reaching  the  Scioto,  the  Indians,  seeing  the  uselessnes  of  attempting  to  oppose 
the  army,  sent  messengers  to  Dunmore,  asking  peace.  He  listened  to  their 
request,  appointed  a  place  for  the  conference,  and  sent  orders  to  Lewis  to 
arrest  his  march.  Lewis  refused  to  obey;  nor  was  it  until  Dunmore  in  per- 
son visited  his  camp,  on  Congo  creek,  just  south  of  the  Indian  towns,  that  he 
felt  himself  bound,  though  unwillingly,  to  give  up  his  hostile  designs. 

Lord  Dunmore  remained  at  his  camp,  called  Camp  Charlotte,  four  miles 
east  of  the  Indian  towns,  where,  matters  having  been  arranged,  a  council  was 
held  with  the  Indian  chiefs  to  negotiate  peace.  The  deliberations  were 
opened  by  Cornstalk,  in  a  short  and  energetic  speech,  delivered  with  great 
dignity,  and  in  a  tone  so  powerful  as  to  be  heard  all  over  the  camp: 

He  recited  the  former  power  of  the  Indians,  the  number  of  their  tribes,  compared  with  their 
present  wretched  condition  and  their  diminished  numbers:  he  referred  to  the  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix, 
and  the  cessions  of  territory  then  made  by  them  to  the  whites:  to  the  lawless  encroachments  of  the 
whites  upon  their  lands,  contrary  to  all  treaty  stipulations:  to  the  patient  forbearance  of  the  Indi- 
ans for  years,  under  wrongs  exercised  toward  them  by  the  frontier  people.  He  said  the  Indians 
knew  their  weakness  in  a  contest  with  the  whites,  and  they  desired  only  justice;  that  the  war  wat 
not  sought  by  the  Indians,  but  was  forced  upon  them;  for  it  was  commenced  by  the  whiles,  without 
previous  notice;  that  under  the  circumstances,  they  would  have  merited  the  contempt  of  the  whites 
for  cowardice,  if  they  had  failed  to  retaliate  the  unprovoked  and  treacherous  murders  of  Captina 
and  Yellow  Creek:  that  the  war  was  the  work  of  the  whites,  for  the  Indians  desired  peace. 

The  compact  or  treaty  was  at  length  concluded,  and  four  hostages  put  in 
possession  of  Dunmore,  to  be  taken  to  Virginia.  T'he  Indians  agreed  to 
make  the  Ohio  their  boundary,  and  the  whites  stipulated  not  to  pass  beyond 
the  west  side  of  that  River.  Thus  was  the  Ohio,  for  the  first  time,  acknow- 
ledged by  the  Indians,  as  the  boundary  between  the  territory  of  the  whites 
and  the  hunting-ground  of  the  Indians. 

Great  excitement,  amounting  almost  to  mutiny,  prevailed  among  the  troops, 
at  not  being  allowed  to  fight  the  Indians.  They  were  highly  dissatisfied 
with  the  Governor  and  the  treaty.  The  conduct  of  Dunmore  could  not  be 
satisfactorily  explained  by  them  except  by  supposing  that  he  had  received 
orders  from  the  royal  government  to  terminate  the  war  speedily  with  the  hos- 


S4  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

tile  tribes,  and  to  make  such  terms  with  them  as  might  secure  their 
alliance  in  favor  of  England  against  the  colonies,  in  case  the  growing 
difficulties  with  them  should  terminate  in  open  war.  Such,  too,  were  said 
to  have  been  fae  opinions  of  General  Washington  and  Chief  Justice  Mar 
shall. 


Map  oj  the  Ancient  Shawanese  Towns  on  ihe  Pickaway  Plain. 

[EXPLANATIONS. — A.  Ancient  works,  on  which  Circleville  now  stands.  B.  Logan's  Cabin  at 
Old  Cliillicothe,  now  Westfall,  four  miles  below  Circleville:  from  this  place  a  trail  led  through 
Grenadier  Squaw  Town,  from  thence  up  the  Congo  Valley,  and  crossed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
creek,  about  1  Vo  miles  from  its  mouth.  C.  Black  Mountain,  a  short  distance  west  of  the  old  Barr 
mansion.  D.  Council  house,  a  short  distance  N.  E.  of  the  residence  of  Wrn.  Renick,  jr.  The  two 
parallel  lines  at  this  point  represent  the  gauntlet  through  which  prisoners  were  forced  to  run,  and 
O.  the  stake  at  which  they  were  burnt,  which  last  is  on  a  commanding  elevation.  F.  the  camp 
of  Col.  Lewis,  just  south  of  the  residence  of  George  Wolf.  E.  tho  point  where  Lord  Dunmore  met 
with  and  stopped  the  army  of  Lewis,  when  on  their  way  to  attack  the  Indians  :  it  is  opposite  the 
mansion  of  Major  John  Boggs.  G.  the  residence  of  Judge  Gills,  near  which  is  shown  the  position 
of  Camp  Charlotte.] 

Logan,  the  Mingo  chief,  still  indignant  at  the  murder  of  his  family,  re- 
fused to  attend  the  council,  or  to  be  seen  a  suppliant  among  the  other  chiefs. 
Yet  to  Gen.  Gibson,  who  was  sent  as  an  envoy  to  the  Shawanese  towns,  on 
a  private  interview,  after  weeping  as  if  his  very  heart  would  burst,  he  told 
the  pathetic  story  of  his  wrongs  in  the  following  words: 

I  appeal  to  any  white  man  to  say,  if  ever  he  entered  Logan's  cabin  hungry,  and  I  gave  him  not. 
meat;  if  ever  became  cold  or  naked,  and  I  gave  him  not  clothing f 

During  the  count*  of  the  last  long  and  bloody  war,  Logan  remained  in  his  tent  an  advo^^t* 
for  peace.  Nay,  such  was  my  love  for  the  whites,  that  those  of  my  own  country  pointed  at  me  a* 
they  passed  by  and  said,  "  Logan  is  the  friend  of  white  men."  I  had  even  thought  to  live  witb 
you,  but  for  the  injuries  of  ono  man.  Colonel  Cresap,  the  last  spring,  in  cool  blood,  and  unpw 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  85 

voked,  cut  off  all  the  relatives  of  Logan;  not  sparing  even  my  women  and  children.  There  run* 
not  a  drop  of  my  blood  in  the  veins  of  any  human  creature.  This  called  on  me  for  revenge.  1 
have  sought  it.  I  have  killed  many.  I  have  fully  glutted  my  vengeance.  For  my  country,  1 
rejoice  at  the  beams  of  peace.  Yet,  do  not  harbor  the  thought  that  mine  is  the  joy  of  fear.  Lo- 
gan m>v<>r  felt  fear.  He  will  not  turu  on  his  heel  to  save  his  life.  Who  is  there  to  mourn  foi  Lo 
gan?  Not  one. 

This  brief  effusion  of  mingled  pride,  courage,  and  sorrow,  elevated  the 
character  of  the  native  American  throughout  the  intelligent  world ;  and  the 
place  where  it  was  delivered  can  never  be  forgotten  so  long  as  touching  elo- 
quence is  admired  by  men. 

The  last  years  of  Logan  were  truly  melancholy.  He  wandered  about 
from  tribe  to  tribe,  a  solitary  and  lonely  man;  dejected  and  broken-hearted, 
by  the  loss  of  his  friends  and  the  decay  of  his  tribe,  he  resorted  to  the  stim- 
ulus of  strong  drink  to  drown  his  sorrow.  He  was  at  last  murdered  in 
Michigan,  near  Detroit.  He  was,  at  the  time,  sitting  with  his  blanket  over 
his  head  before  a  camp-fire,  his  elbows  resting  on  his  knees,  and  his  head 
upon  his  hands,  buried  in  profound  reflection,  when  an  Indian,  who  had 
taken  some  offense,  stole  behind  him  and  buried  his  tomahawk  in  his  brains. 
Thus  perished  the  immortal  Logan,  the  last  of  his  race. 

The  chief,  Cornstalk,  whose  town  is  shown  on  the  map,  was  also  a  man 
of  true  nobility  of  soul,  and  a  brave  warrior.  When  he  returned  to  the  Pick- 
away  towns,  after  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  he  called  a  council  of  the 
nation  to  consult  what  should  be  done,  and  upbraided  them  in  not  suffering 
him  to  make  peace,  as  he  desired,  on  the  evening  before  the  battle.  "  What," 
said  he,  "will  you  do  now?  The  Big  Knife  is  coming  on  us  and  we  shall 
all  be  killed.  Now  you  must  fight  or  we  are  undone."  But  no  one  answer- 
ing, he  said,  "then  let  us  kill  all  our  women  and  children,  and  go  and  fight 
until  we  die."  But  no  answer  was  made,  when,  rising,  he  struck  his  toma- 
hawk into  a  post  of  the  council  house,  and  exclaimed,  "  111  go  and  make 
peace,"  to  which  all  the  warriors  grunted,  "ough!  ough!"  and  runners  were 
instantly  dispatched  to  Dunmore  to  solicit  peace. 

In  the  summer  of  1777,  he  was  atrociously  murdered  at  Point  Pleasant. 
As  his  murderers  were  approaching,  his  son,  Elinipsico,  trembled  violently. 
His  father  encouraged  him  not  to  be  afraid,  for  that  the  Great  Man  above 
had  sent  him  there  to  be  killed  and  die  with  him.  As  the  men  advanced  to 
the  door,  Cornstalk  rose  up  and  met  them:  they  fired,  and  seven  or  eight 
bullet's  went  through  him.  So  fell  the  great  Cornstalk  warrior,  whose  name 
was  bestowed  upon  him  by  the  consent  of  the  nation,  as  their  great  strength 
and  support.  Had  he  lived,  it  is  believed  that  he  would  have  been  friendly 
with  the  Americans,  as  he  had  come  over  to  visit  the  garrison  at  Point 
Pleasant,  to  communicate  the  design  of  the  Indians  of  uniting  with  the 
British.  His  grave  is  to  be  seen  at  Point  Pleasant  to  the  present  day. 


CUSTOMS  AND  MANNERS  OF  THE  EARLY  FRENCH  SETTLERS  OF  THE  WEST. 

PREVIOUS  to  the  year  1760,  the  French  emigrants  upon  the  Lakes  of  the 
north,  were  principally  from  Picardy  and  Normandy,  in  France.  They  were 
mainly  at  the  posts  which  had  been  founded  for  the  purpose  of  extending  the 
dominion  and  religion  of  France,  and  prosecuting  the  fur  trade  into  the  Indian 
country;  from  which  source  the  courts  of  Europe  derixed  their  richest  and 
most,  gorgeous  furs.  The  most  marked  features  of  these  posts  were  the  fort 
and  the  chapel,  surrounded  with  patches  of  cultivated  land,  and  the  wigwams 
of  the  Indians.  Their  population  was  composed  of  a  commandant,  Jesuits, 


86  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

soldiers,  traders,  half-breeds  and  savages,  all  of  whom  belonged  to  a  system 
of  machinery  in  religion  and  trade. 

Beside  the  commandants,  the  most  prominent  individuals  at  the  trading, 
posts,  were  the  French  merchants.  The  old  French  merchant,  at  his  post,  was 
the  head  man  of  the  settlement.  Careful,  frugal,  without  much  enterprise, 
judgment  or  rigid  virtue,  he  was  employed  in  procuring  skins  from  the  Indians 
or  traders  in  exchange  for  manufactured  goods.  He  kept  on  good  terms  with 
the  Indians  and  frequently  fostered  a  large  number  of  half-breed  children,  the 
offspring  of  his  licentiousness. 

The  "Coureursdes  Bois,"  or  rangers  of  the  woods,  were  either  French  or 
half-breeds,  a  hardy  race,  accustomed  to  labor  and  deprivation,  and  conversant 
with  the  character  and  habits  of  the  Indians,  from  whom  they  procured  their 
cargoes  of  furs.  They  were  equally  skilled  in  propelling  a  canoe,  iishing, 
hunting,  trapping,  or  sending  a  ball  from  their  rifles  "to  the  right  eye"  of 
the  buffalo.  If  of  mixed  blood,  they  generally  spoke  the  language  of  their 
parents,  the  French  and  Indian;  and  knew  just  enough  of  their  religion  to  be 
regardless  of  both.  Employed  by  the  aristocratic  French  fur  companies  as 
voyageurs  or  guides,  their  forms  were  developed  to  the  fullest  vigor,  by  pro 
pelling  the  canoe  through  the  lakes  and  streams,  and  by  carrying  large  packs 
of  goods  across  the  portages  of  the  interior  by  straps  suspended  from  their 
foreheads  or  shoulders.  These  voyageurs  knew  every  rock  and  island,  bay 
and  shoal,  of  the  western  waters.  The  ordinary  dress  of  the  white  portion  of 
the  Canadian  French  traders  was  a  cloth  passed  about  the  middle,  a  loose 
shirt,  a  "  molton "  or  blanket  coat,  and  a  red  milled  or  worsted  cap.  The 
half-breeds  were  demi-savage  in  their  dress,  as  well  as  their  character  and  ap- 
pearance. They  sometimes  wore  a  surtout  of  coarse  blue  cloth,  reaching 
down  to  the  mid  leg,  elk-skin  trowsers,  with  the  seams  adorned  with  fringes, 
a  scarlet  woolen  sash  tied  around  the  waist,  in  which  was  stuck  a  broad 
knife,  to  be  used  in  dissecting  the  carcasses  of  animals  taken  in  hunting ;  buck- 
skin moccasins,  and  a  cap  made  of  the  same  materials  with  the  surtout. 

The  "  Coureurs  des  Bois,"  the  pilots  of  the  lakes,  were  the  active  agents 
of  the  fur  trade.  Sweeping  up  in  their  canoes  through  the  upper  lakes,  en- 
camping with  the  Indians  in  the  solitude  of  the  forests,  they  returned  to  the 
posts  which  stood  like  light-houses  of  civilization,  upon  the  borders  of  the 
wilderness,  like  sailors  from  the  ocean,  to  whom  they  were  similar  in  charac- 
ter. They  were  lavish  of  their  money  in  dress  and  licentiousness.  They 
ate,  drank  and  played  all  away,  so  lon»  as  their  goods  held  out,  and  when 
these  were  gone,  they  sold  their  embroidery,  their  laces  and  clothes,  and  were 
then  forced  to  go  on  another  voyage  for  subsistence. 

The  gay,  licentious  and  reckless  character  of  these  forest  mariners  may  be 
inferred  from  their  boat  songs,  which  they  timed  with  their  paddles  upon  the 
waters.  Among  the  most  popular  are  the  two  following,  which  are  even  now 
heard  upon  the  north-west  lakes. 

SONGS  OF  THE  FRENCH  VOYAGEURS. 

•ONO    FIRST.  TRANSLATION. 

Tout  lea  printempi Every  spring 

Tant  de  nouvelles Something  new; 

Tout  les  amants Every  lover 

Changent  de  maltrewes Changes  his  mistress; 

Jamais  le  bon  vin  no  endort Good  wine  never  makes  one  sleepy; 

L'amour  me  reveille Love  awakens  me. 

Tout  les  amants Every  lover 

Changent  de  maUrewee Changes  his  mistress; 

Qu'ils  changent  qui  voudront Let  those  change  who  wish, 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  87 

Pour  moi  je  garde  la  mienne ....For  my  part,  I'll  keep  mine, 

Le  bon  vin  ni  endort Good  wine  never  makes  one  sleepy; 

L'amour  me  reveille Love  awakens  me. 

80X0   SECOND.  TRANSLATION. 

Dans  mon  chemin  j'ai  rencontre1 On  my  way,  I  met 

Trois  cavaliers  bien  months Three  horsemen  well  mounted, 

Lon  Ion  laridon  daine Hey  down,  derry  down,  dey, 

Lon  Ion  laridon  dai Hey  down,  &c. 

Trois  cavaliers  bien  months Three  horsemen  well  mounted; 

L'un  &.  chevel  et  1'autre  &,  pied One  on  horse,  the  other  on  foot, 

Lon  Ion  laridon  daine Hey  down,  derry  down,  dey; 

Lon  lou  laridon  dai Hey  down,  &c. 

The  peasantry,  or  that  portion  of  the  French  population  who  devoted 
themselves  to  agriculture,  maintained  the  habits  which  were  brought  from 
the  provinces  whence  they  emigrated;  and  these  are  retained  to  the  present 
time.  While  the  gentlemen  preserved  the  garb  of  the  age  of  Louis  XIV,  the 
peasants  wore  a  long  surtout,  sash,  red  cap,  and  deer-skin  moccasins.  This 
singular  mixture  of  character  was  made  more  strange  by  the  Indians  who 
loitered  around  the  posts,  the  French  soldiers,  with  blue  coats  turned  up  with 
white  facings,  and  short  clothes,  and  by  the  number  of  priests  and  Jesuits 
who  had  their  stations  around  the  forts.  Agriculture  was  but  little  encouraged, 
either  by  the  policy  of  the  fur  trade  or  the  industry  of  the  inhabitants.  It 
was  limited  to  a  few  patches  of  corn  and  wheat,  which  were  cultivated  in 
profound  ignorance  of  the  principles  of  good  husbandry.  Their  grain  was 
ground  in  windmills.  The  enterprise  of  the  French  women  was  directed  to 
the  making  up  of  coarse  cotton  and  woolen  clothes  for  the  Indian  trade. 
Their  amusements  were  confined  to  dancing  to  the  sound  of  the  violin,  in 
simple  and  unaffected  assemblies  at  each  other's  houses;  or  in  attending 
the  festivals  of  their  church,  hunting  in  the  forests,  or  paddling  their 
canoes  across  the  silent  streams.  The  wilderness  gave  them  abundance 
of  game ;  and  the  lake-herring,  the  bass,  the  pike,  the  gar,  the  mosquenonge, 
and  sturgeon,  swarmed  in  the  waters.  The  Mackinaw  trout,  sometimes 
weighing  fifty  pounds,  pampered  their  taste;  and  the  white-fish,  of  which, 
says  Charlevoix,  "nothing  of  the  fish  kind  can  excel  it,"  flashed  its  silver 
scales  in  the  sun. 

The  administration  of  the  law  was  such  as  might  properly  be  expected, 
where  no  civil  courts  were  organized  and  all  was  elemental.  The  military 
arm  was  the  only  effective  power  to  command  what  was  right  and  to  prohibit 
what  was  wrong.  The  commandant  of  the  fort,  under  the  cognizance  of  the 
Governor-general  of  Canada,  was  the  legislator,  the  judge,  and  the  executive. 

The  volatile  and  migratory  disposition  natural  to  the  French  people, 
increased  by  the  roving  habits  of  the  fur  trade,  was  under  the  rigid  surveillance 
of  the  Catholic  clergy.  The  Jesuits  and  the  priests  exercised  an  inquisitorial 
power  over  every  class  of  the  little  commonwealth  upon  the  lakes,  and  the 
community  became  thus  subjected  thoroughly  to  their  influence,  which  was 
artful,  though  mild  and  beneficent.  The  utmost  satisfaction  was  experienced 
by  the  French  colonists  in  attending  the  ordinances  of  the  church,  and  kneeling 
upon  the  floor  of  the  rude  chapel  before  the  altar,  counting  their  beads,  or 
making  the  sign  of  the  cross  upon  their  foreheads  with  holy  water  from  the 
baptismal  font.  The  Jesuits  and  priests,  with  their  long  gowns  and  black 
bands,  were,  however,  not  so  successful  with  the  savages.  By  them  the  clergy 
were  deemed  "medicine  men"  and  jugglers,  on  whom  the  destinies  of  life  and 
death  depended.  If  a  silver  crucifix,  the  painting  of  a  Madonna,  a  carved 
saint,  an  ancient  book,  or  the  satin  vestments  of  the  priests,  embroidered  with 
flowers  of  purple  and  gold,  sometimes  came  before  their  eyes,  it  was  believed 


88  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

that  they  were  but  implements  of  incantation,  by  which  the  souls  of  those  on 
earth  were  to  be  spirited  away  to  heaven.  It  was  naturally  thought  that  this 
was  the  peculiar  province  of  the  missionaries ;  and  there  is  evidence  of  an 
Iroquois  warrior,  who  threatened  the  life  of  a  Catholic  priest  who  ministered 
beside  the  mat  of  an  aged  savage  on  the  verge  of  death,  unless  he  should 
rescue  the  dying  Indian  from  the  grave. 

The  fur  trade  was  the  principal  subject  of  mercantile  traffic  upon  the  coast 
of  Michigan,  and  its  central  point  was  the  shores  of  the  north-western  lakes. 
Large  canoes,  laden  with  packs  of  European  merchandise,  advanced  periodically 
through  the  upper  lakes,  for  the  purpose  of  trading  for  peltries  with  the 
Indians;  and  these  made  their  principal  depots  at  Michilimackinac  and 
Detroit.  In  order  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  trade,  licenses  were  granted 
by  the  French  king,  and  unlicensed  persons  were  prohibited  from  trading  with 
the  Indians  in  their  own  territory  under  the  penalty  of  death. 

The  progress  of  the  country  under  the  French  government  was  obstructed 
by  the  fact  that  this  region  was  long  under  the  monopoly  of  exclusive 
companies  chartered  by  the  French  crown.  The  design  of  these  companies, 
especially  the  governors  and  intendants,  was  to  enrich  themselves  by  the  fur 
trade;  and  accordingly  they  had  little  motive  to  encourage  agriculture  or  general 
settlement.  By  that  policy  the  intendants  accumulated  large  fortunes  by  the 
trade,  while  they  averted  from  the  observation  of  the  French  crown  the  actual 
condition  of  the  colonies  in  Canada.  They  much  preferred  that  the  French 
inhabitants  should  undergo  the  labor  of  procuring  furs,  while  they  might  reap 
the  profits,  rather  than  that  these  tenants  should  become  the  free  husbandmen  of 
a  fertile  soil.  It  was  reverence  for  rank,  ignorance  of  the  true  principles  of 
republican  freedom,  and,  in  some  measure  perhaps,  a  virtuous  loyalty  which 
they  felt  toward  their  monarch,  that  induced  them  to  yield  their  allegiance  to 
the  colonial  administration. 

The  early  French  in  the  Illinois  country,  as  well  as  those  elsewhere,  were 
remarkable  for  their  talent  of  ingratiating  themselves  with  the  warlike  tribes 
around  them,  and  for  their  easy  amalgamation  in  manners,  and  customs,  and 
blood.  Unlike  most  other  European  emigrants,  who  commonly  preferred  to 
settle  in  sparse  settlements,  remote  from  each  other,  the  French  manifested  in 
a  high  degree,  at  the  same  time,  habits  both  social  and  vagrant.  They  settled 
in  compact  villages,  although  isolated,  in  the  midst  of  a  wilderness  a 
thousand  miles  remote  from  the  dense  settlements  of  Canada.  On  the  margin 
of  a  prairie,  or  on  the  bank  of  some  gentle  stream,  their  villages  sprung  up  in 
long,  narrow  streets,  with  each  family  homestead  so  contiguous  that  the  merry 
and  sociable  villagers  could  carry  on  their,  voluble  conversation,  each  from  his 
own  door  or  balcony.  The  young  men  and  voyageurs,  proud  of  their 
influence  among  the  remote  tribes  of  Indians,  delighted  in  the  long  and  merry 
voyages,  and  sought  adventures  in  the  distant  travels  of  the  fur-trade.  After 
months  of  absence  upon  the  sources  of  the  longest  rivers  and  tributaries  among 
their  savage  friends,  they  returned  to  their  village  with  stores  of  furs  and 
peltries,  prepared  to  narrate  their  hardy  adventures  and  the  thrilling  incidents 
of  their  perilous  voyage.  Their  return  was  greeted  with  smiling  faces,  and 
signalized  by  balls  and  dances,  at  which  the  whole  village  assembled,  to  see 
the  great  travelers,  and  hear  the  fertile  rehearsal  of  wonderful  adventures  and 
strange  sights  in  remote  countries. 

Such  were  the  scenes  at  "  Old  Kaskaskia,"  at  Cahokia,  Prairie  du  Rocher 
and  a  few  other  points  on  the  Upper  Mississippi,  from  the  year  1720  to  th 
year  1765;  and,  in  later  times,  at  the  villages  ot  Fort  Chartres,  St.  Genevieve, 
St.  Louis,  and  St.  Charles;  and  at  St.  Vincent  on  the  Wabash,  as  well  as 
many  other  points  on  the  Lower  Mississippi;  at  the  Post  of  Natchitoches  on 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  91 

Red  River,  and  the  Post  of  Washita  on  the  Washita  River;  as  well  as  upon 
the  La  Fourche,  Faussee  Riviere,  and  the  coast  above  New  Orleans. 

Their  settlements  were  usually  in  the  form  of  small,  compact  patriarchal 
villages,  like  one  great  family  assembled  around  their  old  men  and  patriarchs. 
Their  houses  were  simple,  plain  and  uniform.  Each  homestead  was  surrounded 
by  its  own  separate  inclosure  of  a  rude  picket  fence,  adjoining  or  contiguous  to 
others  on  the  right  and  left.  The  houses  were  generally  one  story  high,  sur- 
rounded by  sheds,  or  galleries;  the  walls  were  constructed  of  a  rude  frame- 
work, having  upright  corner-posts  and  studs,  connected  horizontally  by  means 
of  numerous  cross-ties,  not  unlike  the  rounds  in  a  ladder.  These  served  to 
hold  the  "  cat  and  clay"  with  which  the  interstices  were  filled,  and  with  which 
the  walls  were  made,  and  rudely  plastered  with  the  hand. 

These  abodes  of  happiness  were  generally  situated  on  the  margin  of  a  beau- 
tiful prairie,  and  beside  some  clear  stream  of  running  water,  or  on  the  bank  of 
a  river  or  bayou,  near  some  rich,  alluvial  bottom,  which  supplied  the  grounds 
for  the  "  common  field"  and  "commons." 

The  "common  field"  consisted  of  a  large  contiguous  inclosure,  reserved  for 
the  common  use  of  the  village,  inclosed  by  one  common  fence  for  the  benefit 
of  all.  In  this  field,  which  sometimes  consisted  of  several  hundred  acres, 
each  villager  and  head  of  a  family  had  assigned  to  him  a  certain  portion  of 
ground,  for  the  use  of  himself  and  family,  as  a  field  and  garden.  Near  the 
village,  and  around  the  common  field,  was  an  extensive  open  scope  of  lands 
reserved  for  "  commons,"  or  a  common  pasture -ground.  This  consisted  of 
several  hundreds,  and  often  of  thousands,  of  acres  uninclosed,  and  free  for  the 
use  of  all  as  a  common  pasture,  as  well  as  for  the  supply  of  fuel  and  timber. 

Care  was  a  stranger  in  the  villages,  and  was  rarely  entertained  many  days 
as  a  guest.  Amusements,  festivals,  and  holydays  were  frequent,  and  served 
to  dispel  dull  care,  when  an  unwelcome  visitor.  In  the  light  fantastic  dance, 
the  young  and  the  gay  were  active  participants,  while  the  serene  and  smiling 
countenance  of  the  aged  patriarch,  and  his  companion  in  years,  and  even  of 
the  "reverend  father,"  lent  a  sanction  and  a  blessing  upon  the  innocent 
amusement  and  useful  recreation.  The  amusements  past,  all  could  cheerfully 
unite  in  offering  up  to  God  the  simple  gratitude  of  the  heart  for  his  unbounded 
mercies. 

Nor  were  these  festive  enjoyments  confined  to  any  sex  or  condition.  In 
the  dance  all  participated,  from  the  youngest  to  the  oldest,  the  bond  and  the 
free ;  even  the  black  slave  was  equally  interested  in  the  general  enjoyment, 
and  was  happy  because  he  saw  his  master  happy ;  and  the  master,  in  turn, 
was  pleased  to  witness  the  enjoyment  of  the  slave.  The  mutual  dependence 
of  each  upon  the  other,  in  their  respective  spheres,  contributed  to  produce  a 
state  of  mutual  harmony  and  attachment.  It  has  been  almost  a  proverb,  that 
the  world  did  not  exhibit  an  example  of  a  more  contented  and  happy  race  than 
the  negro  slaves  of  the  early  French  in  the  Illinois  country. 

The  common  people,  in  their  ordinary  deportment,  were  often  characterized 
by  a  calm,  thoughtful  gravity,  and  the  saturnine  severity  of  the  Spaniard, 
rather  than  the  levity  characteristic  of  the  French ;  yet,  in  their  amusements 
and  fetes,  they  exhibited  all  the  gayety  of  the  natives  of  France.  Their 
saturnine  gravity  was  probably  a  habit,  adopted  from  the  Indian  tribes  with 
whom  they  daily  held  intercourse,  and  in  whose  sense  of  propriety  levity  of 
deportment  on  ordinary  occasions  is  esteemed  not  only  unbecoming,  but 
unmanly.  The  calm,  quiet  tenor  of  their  lives,  remote  from  the  active  bustle 
of  civilized  life  and  business,  imparted  to  their  character,  4o  their  feelings,  to 
their  general  manners,  and  even  to  their  very  language,  a  languid  softness 
which  contrasted  strongly  with  the  anxious  and  restless  activity  of  the  Anglo- 


92  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

Saxon  race,  which  is  fast  succeeding  to  the  occupancy  of  their  happy  abodes. 
With  them  hospitality  was  hardly  esteemed  a  virtue,  because  it  was  a  duty 
which  all  cheerfully  performed.  Taverns  were  unknown,  and  every  house 
supplied  the  deficiency.  The  statute-book,  the  judiciary,  and  courts  of  lawr 
with  their  prisons  and  instruments  of  punishment,  were  unknown ;  as  were 
also  the  crimes  for  which  they  are  erected  among  the  civilized  nations  of 
Europe.  On  politics  and  the  affairs  of  the  nation,  they  never  suffered  their 
minds  to  feel  a  moment's  anxiety,  believing  implicitly  that  France  ruled  the 
world,  and  all  must  be  right.  Worldly  honors  and  distinctions  were  bubbles 
unworthy  of  a  moment's  consideration  or  a  moment's  anxiety.  Without  com- 
merce, they  knew  not,  nor  desired  to  know,  the  luxuries  and  the  refinements 
of  civilized  communities.  Thus  day  after  day  passed  by  in  contentment  and 
peaceful  indolence.  The  distinction  of  wealth  or  rank  was  almost  unknown; 
all  were  upon  a  natural  equality,  all  dressed  alike,  and  all  met  as  equals  at 
their  fetes  and  in  their  ball-rooms. 

The  virtues  of  their  primitive  simplicity  were  many.  Punctuality  and 
iionesty  in  their  dealings,  politeness  and  hospitality  to  strangers,  were  habitual; 
friendship  and  cordiality  toward  neighbors  was  general;  and  all  seemed  as 
members  of  one  great  family,  connected  by  the  strong  ties  of  consanguinity. 
Wives  were  kind  and  affectionate;  in  all  respects,  they  were  equal  to  their 
husbands,  and  held  an  influence  superior  to  the  females  in  most  civilized  coun- 
tries. They  had  entire  control  in  all  domestic  concerns,  and  were  the  chief 
and  supreme  umpires  in  all  doubtful  cases.  Did  a  case  of  casuistry  arise, 
who  so  well  able  to  divine  the  truth,  or  so  well  qualified  to  enforce  the  de- 
cision, as  the  better  half?  Mechanic  trades,  as  a  means  of  livelihood,  were 
almost  unknown;  the  great  business  of  all  was  agriculture,  and  the  care  of 
their  herds  and  flocks,  their  cattle,  their  horses,  their  sheep,  and  their  swine, 
and  each  man  was  his  own  mechanic. 

The  peculiar  manners  and  customs  of  these  French  settlements,  isolated  a 
thousand  miles  from  any  other  civilized  community,  became  characteristic 
and  hereditary  with  their  descendants  even  to  the  present  time.  In  1765, 
when  the  English  dominion  was  extended  over  the  Illinois  country,  many  of 
them,  rather  than  submit  to  the  hated  dominion  of  England,  emigrated  to  the 
west  side  of  the  Mississippi,  within  the  present  limits  of  Missouri,  which,  in 
1763,  had  been  ceded  to  Spain.  The  French  settlements  there  increased, 
while  those  in  Illinois  began  to  decline. 


THE  WESTERN  WILDERNESS. 

To  a  person  who  has  witnessed  all  the  changes  which  have  taken  place  in 
the  western  country,  since  its  first  settlement,  its  former  appearance  is  like  a 
dream,  or  romance.  He  will  find  it  difficult  to  realize  the  features  of  that 
wilderness  which  was  the  abode  of  his  infant  days.  The  little  cabin  of  his 
father  no  longer  exists;  the  little  field,  and  truck  patch  which  gave  him  a 
scanty  supply  of  coarse  bread,  and  vegetables,  have  been  swallowed  up  in  the 
extended  meadow,  orchard  or  grain  field.  The  rude  fort,  in  which  his  people 
had  resided  so  many  painful  summers,  has  vanished,  and  "  Like  the  baseless 
fabric  of  a  vision,  left  not  a  wreck  behind." 

Everywhere  surrounded  by  the  busy  hum  of  men,  and  the  splendor,  arts, 
refinements  and  comforts  of  civilized  life,  his  former  state  and  that  of  his 
country  have  vanished  from  his  memory;  or  if  sometimes  he  bestows  a  re- 
flection on  its  original  aspect,  the  rnind  seems  to  be  carried  back  to  a  period 
of  time  much  more  remote  than  it  really  is.  The  immense  changes  which 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  93 

have  taken  place  in  the  physical,  and  moral  state  of  the  country,  have  been 
gradual,  ana  therefore  scarcely  perceived  from  year  to  year;  but  the  view 
from  one  extreme  to  the  other,  is  like  the  prospect  of  the  opposite  shore  over  a 
vast  expanse  of  water,  whose  hills,  valleys,  mountains  ana  forests,  present  a 
confused  and  romantic  scenery,  which  loses  itself  in  the  distant  horizon. 

One  advantage  at  least  results  from  having  lived  in  a  state  of  society,  ever 
on  the  change,  and  always  for  the  better,  it  doubles  the  retrospect  of  life. 
With  me  at  any  rate,  it  has  had  that  effect.  Did  not  the  definite  number  of 
my  years  teach  me  the  contrary,  I  should  think  myself  at  least  one  hundred 
years  old  instead  of  fifty.  The  case  is  said  to  be  widely  different  with  those 
who  have  passed  their  lives  in  cities,  or  ancient  settlements,  where,  from 
year  to  year,  the  same  unchanging  aspect  of  things  presents  itself.  There 
life  passes  away  as  an  illusion,  or  dream,  having  been  presented  with  no 
striking  events,  or  great  and  important  changes,  to  mark  its  different  periods, 
and  give  them  an  imaginary  distance  from  each  other,  and  it  ends  with  a  bit- 
ter complaint  of  its  shortness. 

One  prominent  feature  of  a  wilderness  is  its  solitude.  Those  who  plunged 
into  the  bosom  of  this  forest,  left  behind  them,  not  only  the  busy  hum  of 
men,  but  domesticated  animal  life  generally.  The  parting  rays  of  the  set- 
ting sun  did  not  receive  the  requiem  of  the  feathered  songsters  of  the  grove, 
nor  was  the  blushing  aurora  ushered  in  by  the  shrill  clarion  of  the  domestic 
fowls.  The  solitude  of  the  night  was  interrupted  only  by  the  howl  of  the 
wolf,  the  melancholy  moan  of  the  ill-boding  owl,  or  the  shriek  of  the  fright- 
ful panther.  Even  the  faithful  dog,  the  only  steadfast  companion  of  man 
among  the  brute  creation,  partook  ot  the  silence  of  the  desert ;  the  discipline 
of  his  master  forbade  him  to  bark,  or  move,  but  in  obedience  to  his  command, 
and  his  native  sagacity  soon  taught  him  the  propriety  of  obedience  to  this 
severe  government. 

The  day  was,  if  possible,  more  solitary  than  the  night.  The  noise  of  the 
wild  turkey,  the  croaking  of  the  raven  or  "  The  woodpecker  tapping  the  hol- 
low beech  tree,"  did  not  much  enliven  the  dreary  scene. 

The  various  tribes  of  singing  birds  are  not  inhabitants  of  the  desert ;  they 
are  not  carniverous,  and  therefore  must  be  fed  from  the  labors  of  man.  At 
any  rate  they  did  not  exist  in  this  country  at  its  first  settlement. 

Let  the  imagination  of  the  reader  pursue  the  track  of  the  adventurer  into 
this  solitary  wilderness.  Bending  his  course  toward  the  setting  sun,  over 
undulating  hills,  under  the  shade  of  large  forest  trees  and  wading  through  the 
rank  weeds,  and  grass  which  then  covered  the  earth.  Now  viewing  from  the 
top  of  a  hill,  the  winding  course  of  the  creek  whose  stream  he  wishes  to  ex- 
plore. Doubtful  of  its  course,  and  of  his  own,  he  ascertains  the  cardinal 
points  of  north  and  south,  by  the  thickness  of  the  moss,  and  bark  on  the 
north  side  of  the  ancient  trees.  Now  descending  into  a  valley  and  presaging 
his  approach  to  a  river,  by  seeing  large  ash,  bass-wood  and  sugar  trees,  beau- 
tifully festooned  with  wild  grape-vines.  Watchful  as  Argus,  his  restless  eye 
catches  everything  around  him.  In  an  unknown  region,  and  surrounded  with 
dangers,  he  is  the  sentinel  of  his  own  safety,  and  relies  on  himself  alone  for 
protection.  The  toilsome  march  of  the  day  being  ended,  at  the  fall  of  night, 
he  seeks  for  safety,  some  narrow  sequestered  hollow,  and  by  the  side  of  a 
large  log,  builds  a  fire,  and  after  eating  his  coarse,  and  scanty  meal,  wraps 
himself  up  in  his  blanket,  and  lays  him  down  on  his  bed  of  leaves,  with  his 
feet  to  the  little  fire  for  repose,  hoping  for  favorable  dreams,  ominous  of  fu- 
ture good  luck,  while  his  faithful  dog  and  gun  repose  by  his  side. 

But  let  not  the  reader  suppose  that  the  pilgrim  of  the  wilderness  could  feast 
his  imagination  with  the  romantic  beauties  of  nature,  without  any  drawback 
12 


94  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

from  conflicting  passions.  His  situation  did  not  afford  him  much  time  for 
contemplation.  He  was  an  exile  from  the  warm  clothing  and  plentiful  man- 
sions of  society.  His  homely  woodman's  dress,  soon  became  old  and  rag- 
ged ;  the  cravings  of  hunger  compelled  him  to  sustain  from  day  to  day  the 
fatigues  of  the  chase.  Often  had  he  to  eat  his  venison,  bear  meat,  or  wild 
turkey,  without  bread  or  salt.  Nor  was  this  all ;  at  every  step,  the  strong 
passions  of  hope  and  fear,  were  in  full  exercise.  Eager  in  pursuit  of  his 
game,  his  too  much  excited  imagination  sometimes  presented  him  with  the 
phantom  of  the  object  of  his  chase,  in  a  bush,  a  log,  or  mossy  bank,  and  oc- 
casioned him  to  waste  a  load  of  his  ammunition,  more  precious  than  gold, 
on  a  creature  of  his  own  brain,  and  he  repaid  himself  the  expense  by  making 
a  joke  of  his  mistake..  His  situation  was  not  without  its  dangers.  He  did 
not  know  at  what  tread  his  foot  might  be  stung  by  a  serpent,  at  what  moment 
he  might  meet  with  the  formidable  bear,*  or,  if  in  the  evening,  he  knew  not 
on  what  limb  of  a  tree,  over  his  head,  the  murderous  panther  might  be 
perched,  in  a  squatting  attitude,  to  drop  down  upon,  and  tear  him  to  pieces  in 
a  moment.  When  watching  a  deer  lick  from  his  blind  at  night,  the  formida- 
ble panther  was  often  his  rival  in  the  same  business,  and  if,  by  his  growl, 
or  otherwise,  the  man  discovered  the  presence  of  his  rival,  the  lord  of  the 
\*  orld  always  retired  as  speedily  and  secretly  as  possible,  leaving  him  the  un- 
disturbed possession  of  the  chance  of  game  for  the  night. 

The  wilderness  was  a  region  of  superstition.  The  adventurous  hunter 
sought  for  ominous  presages  of  his  future  good  or  bad  luck,  in  everything 
around  him.  Much  of  his  success  depended  on  the  state  of  the  weather; 
snow  and  rain  were  favorable,  because  in  the  former  he  could  track  his  game, 
and  the  latter  prevented  them  from  hearing  the  rustling  of  the  leaves  beneath 
his  feet.  The  appearance  of  the  sky,  morning  and  evening,  gave  him  the 
signs  of  the  limes,  with  regard  to  the  weather.  So  far  he  was  a  philoso- 
pher. Perhaps  he  was  aided  in  his  prognostics  on  this  subject,  by  some  old 
rheumatic  pain,  which  he  called  his  "  weather  clock."  Say  what  you  please 
about  this,  doctors,  the  first  settlers  of  this  country  were  seldom  mistaken  in 
this  latter  indication  of  the  weather.  The  croaking  of  a  raven,  the  howling 
of  a  dog,  and  the  screech  of  an  owl,  were  as  prophetic  of  future  misfortunes 
among  the  first  adventurers  into,  this  country,  as  they  were  among  the  an- 
cient pagans ;  but  above  all,  their  dreams  were  regarded  as  ominous  of  good 
or  ill  success.  Often  when  a  boy,  I  heard  them  relate  their  dreams,  and  the 
events  which  fulfilled  their  indications.  With  some  of  the  woodsmen  there 
were  two  girls  of  their  acquaintance,  who  were  regarded  as  the  goddesses  of 
their  good  or  bad  luck.  If  they  dreamed  of  the  one,  they  were  sure  of  good 
fortune  ;  if  of  the  other,  they  were  equally  sure  of  bad.  How  much  love  or 
aversion  might  have  had  to  do  in  this  case,  I  cannot  say,  but  such  was  the 
fact. 

The  passion  of  fear  excited  by  danger,  the  parent  of  superstition,  operated 
powerfully  on  the  first  adventurers  into  this  country.  Exiled  from  society, 
and  the  comforts  of  life,  their  situation  was  perilous  in  the  extreme.  The 
bite  of  a  serpent,  a  broken  limb,  a  wound  of  any  kind,  or  a  fit  of  sickness  in 

*  It  is  said,  that  for  some  time  after  Braddock's  defeat,  the  bears  having  feasted  on  the  slain, 
thought  that  they  had  a  right  to  kill  and  eat  every  human  being  with  whom  they  met.  An  uncle 
of  mine  of  the  name  of  Peter,  had  like  to  have  lost  his  life  by  one  of  them.  It  was  in  the  summer 
Dime,  when  bears  were  poor,  and  not  worth  killing:  being  in  the  woods,  he  saw  an  old  male  bear 
winding  along  after  him  :  with  a  view  to  have  the  sport  of  seeing  the  bear  run,  he  hid  himself  be- 
hind a  tree  :  when  the  bear  approached  him,  he  sprung  out  and  haik  -e.l  ut  him  ;  but  cufiee,  instead 
of  running  off,  as  he  expected,  jumped  at  him  with  mouth  wide  open  ;  rny  uncle  stopped  him  by 
applying  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  to  his  neck,  and  firing  it  off;  this  killed  him  in  an  instant.  If  his 
gun  had  snapped,  the  hunter  would  have  been  torn  to  pieces  on  the  spot.  After  this,  he  says,  ht 
never  undertook  to  play  with  a  bear. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  95 

the  wilderness,  without  those  accommodations  which  wounds  and  sickness 
require,  was  a  dreadful  calamity.  The  bed  of  sickness,  without  medical  aid, 
and  above  all,  to  be  destitute  of  the  kind  attention  of  a  mother,  sister,  wife 
or  other  female  friends,  those  ministering  angels  in  the  wants  and  afflictions 
of  man,  was  a  situation  wrhich  could  not  be  anticipated  by  the  tenant  of  the 
forest,  with  other  sentiments  than  those  of  the  deepest  horror. 

Many  circumstances  concurred  to  awaken  in  the  mind  of  the  early  adven- 
turer into  this  country,  the  most  serious  and  even  melancholy  reflections.  He 
saw  everywhere  around  him  indubitable  evidences  of  the  former  existence  of 
a  large  population  of  barbarians,  which  had  long  ago  perished  from  the  earth. 
Their  arrow-heads  furnished  him  with  gun-flints  ;  stone  hatchets,  pipes,  and 
fragments  of  earthernware,  were  found  in  every  place.  The  remains  of 
their  rude  fortifications  were  met  with  in  many  places,  and  some  of  them  of 
considerable  extent  and  magnitude.  Seated  on  the  summit  of  some  sepul- 
chral m-mnd,  containing  the  ashes  of  tens  of  thousands  of  the  dead,  he  said 
to  himself,  "  This  is  the  grave,  and  this,  no  doubt,  the  temple  of  worship  of  a 
long  succession  of  generations,  long  since  moldered  into  dust ;  these  sur- 
rounding valleys  were  once  animated  by  their  labors,  hunting  and  wars,  their 
songs  and  dances ;  but  oblivion  has  drawn  her  impenetrable  vail  over  their 
whole  history ;  no  lettered  page,  no  sculptured  monument  informs  who  they 
were,  from  whence  they  came,  the  period  of  their  existence,  or  by  what 
dreadful  catastrophe  the  iron  hand  of  death  has  given  them  so  complete  an 
overthrow,  and  made  the  whole  of  this  country  an  immense  Golgotha. 

Such,  reader,  was  the  aspect  of  this  country  at  its  first  discovery,  and  such 
the  poor  and  hazardous  lot  of  the  first  adventurers  into  the  bosoms  of  its 
forests.  How  widely  different  is  the  aspect  of  things  now,  and  how  changed 
for  the  better,  the  condition  of  its  inhabitants  !  If  such  important  changes 
have  taken  place  in  so  few  years,  and  with  such  slender  means,  what  immense 
improvements  may  we  not  reasonably  anticipate  for  the  future. 

INCIDENTS  OF  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION  IN  THE  WEST. 

THE  war  of  the  Revolution  was  peculiarly  severe  to  the  scattered  settlements 
of  the  west,  and  it  is  surprising  that  its  hardy  population  were  enabled  to 
sustain  themselves  against  the  numerous  hordes  of  savages  that,  strengthened 
by  the  aid  of  Britain,  assailed  them  on  all  quarters. 

Invasion  of  the  Cherokee  Country. — Beside  the  Indian  nations  of  the 
north,  the  Cherokees,  instigated  by  British  agents,  once  more  took  up  the 
hatchet  and  broke  up  the  settlements  on  the  frontiers  of  the  Carolinas,  and  in 
Southwestern  Virginia,  in  the  region  of  Abingdon.  In  the  fall  of  1776,  their 
country  was  invaded  by  three  separate  divisions,  respectively  from  South 
Carolina,  North  Carolina  and  Virginia.  These  expeditions  were  successful, 
their  fields  were  destroyed,  their  towns  given  to  the  flames,  and  they  were 
compelled  to  sue  for  peace.  At  this  time,  the  Virginia  division,  under  Col. 
Christian,  erected  Fort  Henry  in  the  heart  of  the  Cherokee  nation,  on  the 
South  Fork  of  the  Holston,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  above  the  mouth 
of  French  Broad. 

In  the  spring  of  1777,  the  Shawanese,  having  combined  with  the  other 
tribes  of  the  north,  commenced  an  invasion  of  the  infant  settlements  of  the 
west,  and,  before  the  close  of  summer,  had  made  furious,  but  unsuccessful  at- 
tacks upon  the  Kentucky  posts  of  Harrod's  Station,  Logan's  Fort*  and 
Boonesborough. 

*  Some  circumstances  connected  with  the  siege  of  Logan's  Fort,  reflected  the  highest  credit  upon 
Benjamin  Logan,  after  whom  the  station  was  named.  On  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  May,  the  In* 

12 


96  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

During  the  summer,  the  settlements  in  Northwestern  Virginia,  upon  the 
Monongahela  and  Ohio  Rivers,  were  harassed  by  scalping  parties,  who  com- 
mitted many  murders. 

Siege  of  Fort  Henry. — In  September,  1777,  Fort  Henry,  at  Wheeling, 
originally'called  Fort  Fincastle,  was  besieged  by  about  four  hundred  Indians, 
led  on  by  the  notorious  renegade,  Simon  Girty.  The  fort  was  a  parallelogram, 
with  a  block-house  at  each  of  the  four  corners  connected  by  lines  of  pickets, 
and  inclosing  about  three  quarters  of  an  acre.  The  principal  gate  was  on  the 
east  side  of  the  fort,  next  to  the  few  straggling  log-huts,  comprising  the  then 
village  of  Wheeling.  The  garrison  numbered  only  forty-two  fighting  men, 
including  old  men  and  boys,  and  they  were  sadly  deficient  in  ammunition. 

On  the  27th  inst.,  the  settlers  in  the  vicinity  became  alarmed,  and  sought 
shelter,  with  their  families,  within  the  fort.  The  next  morning,  a  man,  sent 
out  by  Col.  Shepherd,  the  commandant,  on  an  errand,  was  lilled,  and  a 
negro,  with  him,  escaped  back  to  the  fort,  with  the  intelligence  that  fney  had 
been  waylaid  by  a  party  of  Indians  in  a  cornfield.  Upon  this,  Capt.  Mason, 
with  fourteen  men,  went  out  to  dislodge  the  Indians,  when  they  were  attacked 
on  all  sides  by  the  whole  of  Girty's  force.  They  made  a  desperate  resistance; 
but  overwhelmed  by  numbers,  all  but  two,  beside  the  Captain,  were  slain. 
Captain  Ogle,  with  twelve  others,  sallying  out  to  cover  their  retreat,  were  also 
attacked,  and  defeated  with  like  slaughter.  The  enemy  then  advanced  to- 
ward the  fort  in  two  extended  lines,  making  the  air  resound  with  the  war- 
whoop. 

This  salute  was  answered  by  a  few  rifle-shots  from  the  lower  block-houses. 
The  garrison  was  now  reduced  to  twelve  men  and  boys ;  but  they  were  un- 
dismayed by  their  losses  or  the  overwhelming  force  opposed  to  them,  and,  on 
that  day,  performed  prodigies  of  valor.  Girty,  having  disposed  of  his  force 
in  the  deserted  houses,  and  under  cover  of  fences,  appeared  with  a  white  flag 
at  the  window  of  a  cabin.  He  read  the  proclamation  of  Governor  Hamilton, 
of  Detroit,  and  promised  them  protection  if  they  would  lay  down  their  arms 
and  swear  allegiance  to  his  Britannic  Majesty.  He  warned  them  to  submit 
peacefully,  and  told  them  that  he  could  not  restrain  the  savages  if  the  fort  fell 
Dy  assault.  Col.  Shepherd  replied  that  he  could  only  obtain  possession  of  the 
fort  when  there  remained  no  longer  an  American  soldier  to  defend  it.  Girty 
renewed  his  proposition,  but  a  youth  put  an  end  to  the  conference  by  firing  a 
gun  at  him,  and  the  siege  again  opened. 

It  was  yet  early  in  the  morning  of  a  day  of  surpassing  beauty.  The  In- 
dians, for  the  space  of  six  hours,  kept  up  a  brisk  fire,  but  very  much  at  ran- 
dom, and  with  little  or  no  effect.  The  little  garrison  was  composed  of  sharp- 
shooters, and  fired  with  great  coolness  and  precision.  Occasionally,  the  most 
reckless  of  the  savages  would  rush  up  close  to  the  block-houses  to  fire  through 
the  logs,  but  shots  from  the  well  directed  rifles,  drove  them  back.  About 

dians  commenced  tne  siego  by  firing  upon  a  small  party  who  were  just  outside  the  fort,  by  which 
one  man  was  killed  and  two  wounded.  The  whole  party,  including  one  of  the  wounded  men,  in- 
itantly  ran  into  the  fort.  A  man  named  Harrison,  still  lay  near  the  spot  where  he  had  fallen,  in 
full  view  of  both  the  garrison  and  the  enemy.  His  wife  and  family  were  in  deep  distress  at  his 
situation.  Logan,  failing  to  raise  a  party  to  rush  out  and  save  the  man,  made  the  attempt  alone, 
and  succeeded  in  bringing  him  in,  unhurt,  through  a  tremendous  shower  of  rifle  balls,  which  was 
poured  upon  him  from  every  spot  around  capable  of  covering  an  Indian. 

During  the  siege,  the  women  were  all  employed  in  molding  bullets,  while  the  men  were  con- 
stantly  at  their  posts.  At  length,  their  ammunition  grew  scarce,  and  none  could  be  obtained  short 
of  Holston,  in  Southwestern  Virginia.  So,  one  dark  night,  Logan  crawled  through  the  Indian 
camp,  and  alone,  took  his  course  for  the  Holston,  by  bye-paths,  which  no  white  man  had  ever  trod, 
through  cane-brakes  and  thickets,  over  tremendous  cliffs  and  precipices,  where  the  deer  could 
scarcely  obtain  a  footing,  and  arrived  in  safety.  He  returned,  by  the  same  route,  to  the  fort,  which 
ae  found  still  besieged  and  reduced  to  the  last  extremity.  His  safe  return  with  ammunition,  in- 
spired them  with  fresh  courage,  and  a  few  days  after,  Co',  Bowman  arriving  with  one  hundred  men 
from  Virgin?*,  xwapellod  the  Indians  to  retire 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  97 

one  o'clock,  the  Indians  discontinued  their  fire,  and  fell  back  to  the  base  of 
the  hill. 

The  stock  of  gunpowder  in  the  fort  being  exhausted,  it  was  determined  to 
seize  this  opportunity  to  send  for  a  keg,  in  a  house,  distant 'about  sixty  yards 
from  the  fort.  The  Colonel  being  unwilling  to  order  any  one  upon  such  a 
desperate  errand,  asked  for  a  volunteer.  Several  young  men  promptly  stepped 
forward.  The  Colonel  informed  them  that  in  the  weak  state  of  the  garrison, 
that  only  one  man  could  be  spared,  and  that  they  must  decide  who  that  should 
be.  The  eagerness  of  each  to  go,  prevented  them  from  deciding,  and  so 
much  time  was  consumed  in  the  contention,  that  fears  began  to  arise  that 
the  Indians  would  renew  the  attack  before  the  powder  could  be  procured.  At 
this  crisis  a  young  lady,  Miss  Elizabeth  Zane,  came  forward,  and  to  the 
astonishment  of  all,  expressed  a  desire  that  she  might  be  permitted  to  go. 
This  proposition  seemed  so  extravagant  that  it  met  with  a  peremptory  refu- 
sal ;  but  no  remonstrances  of  her  friends  or  the  Colonel,  could  dissuade  her 
from  her  heroic  purpose.  She  stated  that  the  great  danger  was  the  very  reason 
that  she  should  go ;  that  the  loss  of  her  life  would  be  unfelt,  while  that  of 
a  soldier,  in  the  weak  state  of  the  garrison,  would  be  of  serious  injury.  Her 
petition  was  ultimately  granted,  and  as  she  went  out  of  the  gate,  the  Indians 
in  the  vicinity  looked  at  her  with  astonishment ;  but  for  some  incomprehen- 
sible reason  did  not  molest  her.  When  she  re-appeared  with  the  powder, 
the  Indians  suspected  her  errand  and  discharged  a  volley  at  her,  as  she  swift- 
ly glided  toward  the  gate,  amid  a  shower  of  balls,  and  entered  it  unharmed 
with  her  prize.  It  was  a  noble  exploit,  one  rarely  equaled  in  self  devotion 
'and  moral  intrepidity. 

After  an  intermission  of  about  two  hours,  the  Indians  renewed  the  attack 
with  great  energy.  Toward  evening,  the  rifles  of  the  garrison  had  become 
so  much  heated  by  continued  firing  that  they  were  obliged  to  have  recourse 
to  a  supply  of  muskets.  After  dark,  the  Indians  brought  up  a  hollow  maple 
log,  which  they  had  converted  into  a  field-piece.  They  bound  it  around  with 
iron  chains,  to  give  it  additional  strength,  and  loaded  it  to  the  muzzle  with 
slugs  of  iron,  and  then  pointed  it  against  the  main  gate.  Upon  being  dis- 
charged, its  contents  did  no  harm  to  the  garrison;  but  as  it  burst  into  many 
fragments  a  number  of  Indians  were  killed  and  wounded.  A  loud  yell  an- 
nounced their  disappointment,  and  the  crowd  gathered  around,  dispersed. 

About  four  o'clock  next  morning,  Col.  Swearingen  succeeded  in  entering  the 
fort  with  fourteen  men  from  Cross  Creek,  and  shortly  after,  forty  mounted 
men  from  Short  Creek,  under  Major  McCulloch,  though  closely  beset  by  the 
Indians,  made  their  way  into  the  gate,  which  opened  to  receive  them.  But 
McCulloch,  like  a  brave  officer,  was  the  last  man,  and  he  was  cut  off  from 
his  men,  and  nearly  surrounded  by  the  Indians.  He  wheeled  and  galloped 
toward  a  lofty  hill  in  the  rear  of  the  fort,  beset  the  whole  way  by  Indians, 
who  might  have  killed  him,  but  knowing  him  as  one  of  the  bravest  and  most 
successful  of  Indian  fighters  on  the  frontier,  wished  to  take  him  alive  and 
gratify  their  full  revenge  by  subjecting  him  to  the  severest  tortures.  He  in- 
tended to  ride  along  the  ridge,  and  thus  make  his  way  to  Short  Creek ;  but  on 
gaining  the  top,  he  found  himself  headed  by  a  hundred  savages,  while  the 
main  body  were  in  keen  pursuit,  in  his  rear.  He  was  hemmed  in  on  all 
sides  but  the  east,  where  the  precipice  was  almost  perpendicular  and  the  bed 
of  the  Creek  lay  like  a  gulf,  near  two  hundred  feet  below  him.  This,  too, 
would  have  been  protected  by  the  cautious  enemy,  but  the  jutting  crags  for- 
bade his  climbing  or  even  descending  it  on  foot,  and  to  attempt  it  on  horse- 
back seemed  inevitable  death  to  both  rider  and  steed.  But  with  McCulloch 
it  was  but  a  chance  of  death  and  a  narrow  chance  of  life.  He  chose  like  a 


98  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMA  RKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

brave  man.  Setting  himself  back  in  his  saddle  and  his  feet  firmly  braced  in 
the  stirrups,  with  his  rifle  in  his  left  hand  and  the  reins  .adjusted  in  his  right, 
he  cast  one  look  upon  the  approaching  savages,  pushed  his  spurs  into  his 
horse's  flanks,  and  made  the  decisive  leap.  In  a  few  moments  the  Indians 
saw  their  mortal  foe,  whose  daring  act  they  beheld  with  astonishment,  emerg- 
ing from  the  valley  below,  still  safely  seated  on  his  noble  steed,  and  shouting 
defiance  to  his  pursuers. 

After  the  escape  of  McCulloch  the  Indians  set  fire  to  the  cabins  and  fences 
outside  of  the  fort,  and  then  raised  the  siege.  The  defense  had  been  admi- 
rably conducted  by  the  garrison  in  the  face  of  an  enemy  thirty  times  their 
numbers.  In  the  hottest  of  the  fight  even  the  females  showed  great  intrepidity, 
employing  themselves  in  running  bullets,  preparing  rifle-patches,  and  infusing 
new  life  into  the  soldiers  by  words  of  encouragement.  Inside  of  the  fort  not 
a  man  was  killed,  and  only  one  wounded,  while  the  loss  of  the  enemy  was 
from  sixty  to  one  hundred. 

Just  previous  to  the  siege  of  Fort  Henry,  a  party  of  forty-five  men  under 
Capt.  Foreman,  fell  into  an  ambuscade  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  eight  miles 
below  the  fort.  Twenty-one,  including  their  commander  and  his  two 
sons,  were  slain,  and  several  of  the  others  wounded.  A  simple  monument 
marks  the  spot  of  this  fatal  tragedy,  with  the  inscription  : 

"This  humble  stone  is  erected  to  the  memory  of  Capt.  Foreman  and  twenty-one  of  his  men,  who 
were  slain  by  a  band  of  ruthless  savages — the  allies  of  a  civilized  nation  of  Europe,  on  the  25th  of 
Sept.  1777." 

"  So  sleep  the  brave  who  sink  to  rest 
With   all  their  country's  wishes   blest."  • 

Conquest  of  Illinois. — British  authority  was  extended  over  the  Illinois 
country  shortly  after  the  peace  of  1763.  The  commandant  was  always  some 
officer  of  His  Majesty's  army,  who  generally  exercised  despotic  authority  over 
the  people.  The  population  was  composed  entirely  of  a  few  thousand  French 
who  dwelt  isolated  in  their  settlements  in  the  depths  of  a  vast  wilderness. 
Their  principal  settlements  were  Kaskaskia,  Vincennes,  and  Cahokia,  at  each 
of  which  forts  were  erected,  and  garrisoned  by  British  troops.  These  posts, 
and  that  of  Detroit,  were  the  points  where  were  planned  the  hostile  incursions 
of  savages  that  desolated  the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  and  the  new 
settlements  of  Kentucky.  The  whole  of  the  Illinois  country  being,  at  that 
time,  within  the  chartered  limits  of  Virginia,  Col.  George  Rogers  Ckrk,  an 
officer  of  extraordinary  genius,  who  had  recently  emigrated  to  Kentucky,  with 
slight  aid  from  the  mother  state,  projected  and  carried  out  a  secret  expedition 
for  the  reduction  of  these  posts,  the  great  fountains  of  Indian  massacre. 

About  the  middle  of  June  (1778),  Clarke,  by  extraordinary  exertions,  as- 
sembled at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  six  incomplete  companies.  From  these  he 
selected  about  150  frontier  men  and  descended  the  Ohio  in  keel-boats  en 
route  for  Kaskaskia;  on  their  way  down  they  learned,  by  a  messenger,  of  the 
alliance  of  France  with  the  United  States.  About  forty  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Ohio,  having  first  concealed  their  boats  by  sinking  them  in  the 
river,  they  commenced  their  march  toward  Kaskaskia.  Their  route  was 
through  a  pathless  wilderness  interspersed  with  morasses,  and  almost  impas- 
sable to  any  except  backwoodsmen.  After  several  days  of  great  fatigue  and 
hardships,  they  arrived  unperceived,  in  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  July,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  town.  In  the  dead  of  night  Clarke  divided  his  little  force  into 
two  divisions.  One  division  took  possession  of  the  town  while  the  inhabi- 
tants were  asleep;  with  the  other  Clarke  in  person  crossed  to  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Kaskaskia  river  and  secured  possession  of  Fort  Gage.  So  little 
apprehensive  was  he  of  danger  that  the  commandant,  Rocheblave,  had  not 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  99 

even  posted  a  solitary  sentinel,  and  that  officer  was  awakened  by  the  side  of 
his  wife  to  find  himself  a  prisoner  of  war. 

The  town,  containing  about  250  dwellings,  was  completely  surrounded  and 
all  avenues  of  escape  carefully  guarded.  The  British  had  cunningly  im- 
pressed the  French  with  a  horror  of  Virginians,  representing  them  as  blood- 
thirsty and  cruel  in  the  extreme.  Clarke  took  measures,  for  ultimate  good,  to 
increase  this  feeling.  During  the  night ^ the  troops  filled  the  air  with  war- 
whoops  ;  every  house  was  entered  and  the  inhabitants  disarmed  ;  all  intercourse 
between  them  was  prohibited  ;  the  people  were  ordered  not  to  appear  in  the 
streets  under  penalty  of  instant  death.  The  whole  town  was  filled  with  terror, 
and  the  minds  of  the  poor  Frenchmen  were  agitated  by  the  most  horrid  appre- 
hensions. At  last,  when  hope  had  nearly  vanished,  a  deputation,  headed  by 
Father  Gibault,  the  village  priest,  obtained  permission  to  wait  upon  Col. 
Clarke.  Surprised  as  they  had  been,  by  the  sudden  capture  of  their  town, 
and  by  such  an  enemy  as  their  imagination  had  painted,  they  were  still  more 
so  when  admitted  to  his  presence.  Their  clothes  were  dirty  and  torn  by  the 
briers,  and  their  whole  aspect  frightful  and  savage.  The  priest,  in  a  trembling, 
subdued  tone,  said  to  Clarke  : 

"  That  the  inhabitants  expected  to  be  separated,  never  to  meet  again  on 
earth,  and  they  begged  for  permission,  through  him,  to  assemble  once  more 
in  the  church,  to  take  a  final  leave  of  each  other."  Clarke,  aware  that  they 
suspected  him  of  hostility  to  their  religion,  carelessly  told  them,  that  he  had 
nothing  to  say  against  their  church;  that  religion  was  a  matter  which  the 
Americans  left  every  one  for  himself  to  settle  with  his  God;  that  the  people 
might  assemble  in  the  church,  if  they  wished,  but  they  must  not  leave  the 
town.  Some  further  conversation  was  attempted;  but  Clarke,  in  order  that 
the  alarm  might  be  raised  to  its  utmost  height,  repelled  it  with  sternness,  and 
told  them  at  once  that  he  had  not  leisure  for  further  intercourse.  The  whole 
town  immediately  assembled  at  the  church;  the  old  and  the  young,  the  women 
and  the  children,  and  the  houses  were  all  deserted.  The  people  remained  in 
church  for  a  long  time — after  which  the  priest,  accompanied  by  several  gen- 
tlemen, waited  upon  Colonel  Clarke,  and  expressed,  in  the  name  of  the  vil- 
lage, "their  thanks  for  the  indulgence  they  had  received."  The  deputation 
then  desired,  at  the  request  of  the  inhabitants,  to  address  their  conqueror  on 
a  subject  which  was  dearer  to  them  than  any  other.  "  They  were  sensible," 
they  said,  "that  their  present  situation  was  the  fate  of  war;  and  they  could 
submit  to  the  loss  of  property,  but  solicited  that  they  might  not  be  separated 
from  their  wives  and  children,  and  that  some  clothes  and  provisions  might  be 
allowed  for  their  future  support."  They  assured  Colonel  Clarke,  that  their 
conduct  had  been  influenced  by  the  British  commandants,  whom  they  sup- 
posed they  were  bound  to  obey — that  they  were  not  certain  that  they  under- 
stood the  nature  of  the  contest  between  Great  Britain  and  the  colonies — that 
their  remote  situation  was  unfavorable  to  accurate  information — that  some  of 
their  number  had  expressed  themselves  in  favor  of  the  Americans,  and  others 
would  have  done  so  had  they  durst.  Clarke,  having  wound  up  their  terror  to 
the  highest  pitch,  resolved  now  to  try  the  effect  of  that  lenity,  which  he  had 
all  aloncr  intended  to  grant.  He  therefore  abruptly  addressed  them:  "  Do 
you,"  said  he,  "  mistake  us  for  savages?  I  am  almost  certain  you  do  from 
your  language.  Do  you  think  that  Americans  intend  to  strip  women  and 
children,  or  take  the  bread  out  of  their  mouths?  My  countrymen  disdain  to 
make  war  upon  helpless  innocence.  It  was  to  prevent  the  horrors  of  Indian 
butchery  upon  our  own  wives  and  children,  that  we  have  taken  up  arms,  and 
penetrated  into  this  stronghold  of  British  and  Indian  barbarity,  and  not  the 
despicable  prospect  of  plunder.  That  since  the  King  of  France  had  united 


100  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

his  arms  with  those  of  America,  the  war,  in  all  probability,  would  shortly 
cease.  That  the  inhabitants  of  Kaskaskia,  however,  were  at  liberty  to  take 
which  side  they  pleased,  without  danger  to  themselves,  their  property,  or  their 
families.  That  all  religions  were  regarded  by  the  Americans  with  equal  re- 
spect; and  that  insult  offered  to  theirs,  would  be  immediately  punished.  And 
now,"  continued  he,  "to  prove  my  sincerity,  you  will  please  inform  your  fel- 
low-citizens, that  they  are  at  liberty  to  go  wherever  they  please,  without  any 
apprehension.  That  he  was  now  convinced  they  had  been  misinformed,  and 
prejudiced  against  the  Americans,  by  British  officers;  and  that  their  friends  in 
confinement  should  immediately  be  released."  The  joy  of  the  villagers,  on 
hearing  the  speech  of  Colonel  Clarke,  may  be  imagined.  The  contrast  of 
feeling  among  the  people,  on  learning  these  generous  and  magnanimous  in- 
tentions of  Colonel  Clarke,  verified  his  anticipations.  The  gloom  which  had 
overspread  the  town  was  immediately  dispersed.  The  bells  rung  a  merry 
peal;  the  church  was  at  once  filled,  and  thanks  offered  up  to  God  for  deliver- 
ance from  the  terrors  they  had  feared.  Freedom  to  come  and  go,  as  they 
pleased,  was  immediately  given;  knowing  that  their  reports  would  advance  the 
success  and  glory  of  his  arms. 

So  great  an  effect  had  this  leniency  of  Clarke  upon  them,  that,  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  same  day,  a  detachment,  under  Captain  Bowman,  was  dispatched 
to  surprise  Cahokia;  the  Kaskaskians  offered  to  go  with  it,  and  secure  the  sub- 
mission of  their  neighbors.  This  having  been  accomplished,  the  two  chief 
posts  in  Illinois  had  passed,  without  bloodshed,  from  the  possession  of  Eng 
land  into  that  of  Virginia. 

But  St.  Vincennes,  upon  the  Wabash,  the  most  important  post  in  the  west, 
except  Detroit,  still  remained  in  possession  of  the  enemy.  Clarke  thereupon 
accepted  the  offer  of  Father  Gibault,  who,  in  company  with  another  Kaskas- 
kian,  proceeded  on  a  mission  of  peace  to  St.  Vincennes,  and  by  the  1st  of 
August,  returned  with  the  intelligence  that  the  inhabitants  of  that  post  had 
taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  American  cause. 

Clarke  next  established  courts,  garrisoned  three  conquered  towns,  com- 
menced a  fort  which  proved  the  foundation  of  the  flourishing  city  of  Louis- 
ville, and  sent  the  ill-natured  Rocheblave  a  prisoner  to  Virginia.  In  October, 
Virginia  extended  her  jurisdiction  over  the  settlements  of  the  Upper  Missis- 
sippi and  the  Wabash,  by  the  organization  of  the  county  of  Illinois,  the  largest 
county,  at  that  time,  in  the  world.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  conquest  of  the 
Illinois  country,  by  Clarke,  it  would  have  remained  in  the  possession  of  Eng- 
land at  the  close  of  the  revolution,  and  continued,  like  Canada,  to  the  present 
day,  an  English  province. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  September,  Clarke  commenced  negotiating  with 
the  Indian  tribes  of  the  Illinois  and  Upper  Mississippi.  No  man  ever  better 
understood  Indian  character;  he  had  seen  much  service  in  Indian  wars,  and 
believed  it  the  best  policy  to  maintain  toward  them  a  stern  and  dignified  re- 
serve— and  not  to  invite  them  to  peace,  but  to  fight  them  fiercely  until  they 
were  compelled  to  sue  for  it.  His  stern,  decided  manner,  while  conducting 
his  negotiations,  impressed  them  with  a  terror  before  unknown.  His  sleepless 
vigilance,  the  celerity  of  his  movements,  and  his  lofty  courage  struck  such  a 
panic  into  the  hearts  of  the  Northwestern  Indians,  as  not  only  occasioned  for 
a  time,  a  cessation  of  Indian  hostilities  on  the  frontier,  but  induced  some  of  the 
tribes  to  offer  their  services  against  the  English,  which  Clarke,  from  motives 
of  humanity,  rejected. 

The  following  anecdote  is  illustrative  of  Clarke's  manner  in  his  interviews 
with  the  Indians.  While  in  camp  at  Cahokia,  the  Meadow  Indians  had  been 
offered  a  large  reward  in  case  they  should  murder  Clarke.  Accordingly,  they 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  101 

resorted  to  a  stratagem  to  assassinate  him  when  asleep.  Luckily  they  were  frus- 
trated in  their  designs,  and  their  chiefs  imprisoned  and  sent  to  the  guard-house. 
They  were  put  in  irons,  and  brought  the  next  day  into  the  council,  without 
being  suffered  to«  speak  until  all  the  other  business  was  transacted.  Colonel 
Clarke  then  ordered  their  irons  to  be  taken  off,  and  told  them  "that  they 
ought  to  die  for  their  treacherous  attempt  upon  his  life;  that  he  had  determined 
to  put  them  to  death,  and  they  must  be  sensible  they  had  forfeited  their  lives; 
but  reflecting  on  the  meanness  of  watching  a  bear,  and  catching  him  asleep, 
he  had  concluded  that  they  were  not  warriors,  but  old  women,  and  too  mean, 
therefore,  to  be  killed  by  the  Big  Knife — but  as  they  had  put  on  breech-clothes, 
pretending  to  be  men  when  they  were  women,  he  should  order  their  breech- 
clothes  to  be  taken  off;  and  as  women  know  nothing  about  hunting,  a  plenty 
of  provisions  should  be  given  them  for  their  journey  home,  and  during  their 
stay  they  should  be  treated  in  every  respect  like  squaws."  He  then  turned, 
and  renewed  a  conversation  with  his  friends  in  attendance. 

This  treatment  appeared  to  agitate  the  offending  Indians  exceedingly.  One 
of  their  chiefs  soon  afterward  arose,  and  offered  a  pipe  and  belt  of  peace  to 
Clarke,  and  made  a  speech.  Clarke,  however,  would  not  allow  it  even  to  be 
interpreted;  and  a  sword  lying  on  the  table,  he  took  it  up  and  broke  the  pipe, 
declaring,  at  the  same  time,  that  Big  Knife  never  treated  with  women.  Seve- 
ral chiefs  belonging  to  the  other  tribes  in  attendance,  immediately  rose  to 
intercede  in  their  behalf,  and  desired  Colonel  Clarke  to  pity  their  families. 
Clarke,  however,  alive  to  the  vulnerable  features  of  the  Indian  character,  told 
them  "that  the  Big  Knife  had  never  made  war  upon  the  Indians,  and  that 
when  Americans  came  across  such  people  in  the  woods,  they  commonly  shot 
them  as  they  did  wolves,  to  prevent  their  eating  the  deer."  This  mediation 
having  failed,  a  consultation  took  place  among  themselves,  and  two  of  their 
young  men,  advancing  into  the  middle  of  the  floor,  sat  down,  and  flung 
their  blankets  over  their  heads,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  whole  assembly. 
Two  of  their  most  venerable  chiefs  then  arose,  and  with  a  pipe  of  peace,  stood 
by  these  self-devoted  victims,  and  offered  their  lives  as  an  atonement  for  the 
conduct  of  their  tribe.  "This  sacrifice,"  said  they,,  "we  hope  will  appease- 
the  Big  Knife:"  and  they  again  offered  the  pipe. 

This  affecting  and  romantic  incident,  embarrassed  even  the  ready  mind  of 
Clarke.  The  assembly  was  silent.  Anxiety  to  know  the  fate  of  the  victims,, 
was  depicted  on  every  countenance.  Such  magnanimity — such  self-devotion,, 
as  these  rude  children  of  the  forest  exhibited,  Colonel  Clarke  had  never  wit- 
nessed before;  and,  as  he  says  in  his  journal,  from  which  the  above  is  ex- 
tracted, "  he  never  felt  so  powerful  a  gust  of  emotion  in  his  life."  Retaining, 
however,  his  self-possession  as  well  as  he  could,  he  ordered  them  to  rise  and 
uncover  themselves,  and  said,  "  he  rejoiced  to  find  that  there  were  men  in  all 
nations ;  that  such  alone  were  fit  to  be  chiefs,  and  with  such  he  liked  to  treat; 
that  through  them  he  granted  peace  to  their  tribes;"  and  taking  them  by  the 
hand,  he  introduced  them  to  the  American  officers,  as  well  as  to  the  French 
and  Spanish  gentlemen  who  were  present,  and  afterward  to  the  other  Indian 
chiefs.  They  were  saluted  by  all  as  chiefs  of  the  tribe.  A  council  was  im- 
mediately held,  with  great  ceremony ;  peace  was  at  once  restored;  presents 
were  distributed,  and  neither  party  had  occasion  to  repent  of  their  doings. 
Clarke  was  afterward  informed,  that  these  young  men  were  held  in  high  es- 
timation among  their  people;  and  that  the  incident  above  related,  was  much 
talked  of  among  the  natives. 

Early  in  the  winter,  the  whole  regular  force  at  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia, 
had  been  reduced  to  less  than  one  hundred  men,  while  that  at  Vincenncs, 
under  Capt.  Helm,  comprised  but  a  few  individuals. 
13 


102  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES 

Hamilton,  the  British  Governor  at  Detroit,  mortified  at  the  loss  of  Illinois, 
determined  to  retrieve  these  disasters  to  the  British  cause  by  re-conquering  it 
from  the  Virginians.  About  the  middle  of  December,  he  suddenly  appeared 
before  Fort  St.  Vincent  with  a  formidable  body  of  regulars,  militia  and  In- 
dians, amounting  in  all  to  about  seven  hundred  men.  As  he  advanced  to 
carry  the  fort  by  assault,  Captain  Helm,  with  a  confident  air,  as  if  sup- 
ported  by  an  ample  force,  sprang  upon  a  bastion  beside  a  cannon,  and  waving 
a  lighted  match  in  the  air,  called  out,  "  Halt !  or  I'll  blow  you  to  atoms !" 
Ignorant  of  the  numbers  of  the  defenders,  Hamilton  was  surprised,  and  fear 
ing  a  desperate  resistance,  ordered  a  halt.  A  parley  ensued,  and  to  the  de- 
mand for  the  surrender  of  the  fort,  Helm  exclaimed,  with  an  oath,  "  No  man 
enters  here  until  I  know  the  terms  ;  I  will  surrender  only  with  the  full  honors 
of  war  ;  otherwise,  I  will  resist  so  long  as  a  man  lives  to  shoulder  a  rifle." 
His  terms  were  granted,  when  lo !  the  whole  garrison,  comprising  only  one 
private,  with  his  dauntless  commander,  marched  out  and  laid  down  their  arms. 

The  winter  now  setting  in,  with  rain  and  snow,  Col.  Hamilton  was  obliged 
to  defer  further  operations  until  spring.  He  then  made  arrangements  to  enlist 
for  the  coming  campaign,  all  the  southern  and  western  Indians,  and  there  is 
reason  to  believe  that  in  that  case  he  would  not  only  have  succeeded  in  sweep- 
ing the  west  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  mountains,  but,  perhaps,  have  changed 
the  whole  tide  of  the  revolution. 

Clarke  soon  put  an  end  to  these  projects.  No  sooner  did  he  learn  of  Helm's 
surrender,  than  he  promptly  took  measures  to  anticipate  his  rival,  and  regain 
Vincennes;  in  seven  days  thereafter,  he  started  with  a  force  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  men,  on  a  dreary  march  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  northeast- 
erly, toward  Vincennes.  At  the  same  time,  he  dispatched  an  armed  galley 
with  forty-six  men,  under  Capt.  John  Rodgers,  to  penetrate  and  take  up  a  po- 
sition on  the  Wabash,  near  the  mouth  of  White  River,  and  wait  orders.  The 
route  of  Clarke  was  an  Indian  trace  through  forests  and  prairies.  The  weather 
being  uncommonly  rainy,  all  the  large  streams  were  over  their  banks.  For 
near  one  hundred  miles,  these  hardy  woodsmen,  weighed  down  with  their 
arms  and  provisions,  pressed  along  on  foot,  through  forests,  marshes,  ponds, 
broad  rivers,  and  overflown  lowlands,  until  they  reached  the  crossings  of  the 
little  Wabash,  nine  miles  from  Vincennes,  where  the  bottoms  were  overflowed 
for  the  width  of  three  miles,  to  a  depth  of  from  two  to  near  five  feet.  There 
the  troops  sprang  into  the  water,  which,  in  some  places,  came  up  to  their  arm- 
pits, and  commenced  wading  across. 

A  favorite  song  was  sung,  and  the  whole  detachment  joined  in  the  chorus. 
When  they  had  got  to  the  deepest  part,  from  whence  it  was  intended  to  trans- 
port the  troops  in  two  canoes  which  they  had  obtained,  one  of  the  men  said 
he  felt  a  path,  quite  perceptible  to  the  touch  of  naked  feet;  and  supposing  it 
must  pass  over  the  highest  ground,  the  march  was  continued  to  a  place  called 
the  Sugar  Camp,  where  they  found  about  half  an  acre  of  land  above  the  water. 
Here  they  rested  a  moment.  Another  expanse  of  water  was  now  to  be  crossed, 
and  what  heightened  the  difficulty,  was  the  entire  absence  of  wood  or  timber, 
to  support  the  famishing  and  exhausted  party  in  wading.  The  object,  how- 
ever, of  their  toils,  was  now  in  sight.  Clarke,  thereupon,  addressed  his 
troops  in  a  spirited  manner,  and  led  the  way  into  the  water  as  before,  up  to 
his  middle — as  soon  as  the  third  man  had  stepped  off,  Clarke  ordered  Captain 
Bowman  to  fall  back  with  twenty-five  men,  and  shoot  every  man  who  refused 
to  march;  resolved,  as  he  said,  that  "no  coward  should  disgrace  this  company 
of  brave  men."  The  order  was  received  with  a  shout  and  huzza,  and  every 
man  followed  his  commander,  cheered  as  they  sometimes  were  by  the  advance 
guard,  with  a  purposed  deception  that  the  water  was  growing  shallower,  and 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  103 

sometimes  with  the  favorite  cry  of  seamen,  "  land !  land !"  When  they  reached 
the  woods  that  skirted  the  river,  the  water  was  still  up  to  their  shoulders;  the 
support  of  the  trees  and  floating  logs  were  found  of  essential  use,  and  aided 
them  exceedingly  in  their  perilous  march.  On  approaching  the  bank,  or 
high-ground,  so  completely  were  they  exhausted,  that  many  fell  on  their  faces, 
leaving  their  bodies  half  in  the  water,  unable  any  longer  to  continue  their 
efforts. 

They  here  found  an  Indian  canoe,  with  a  small  amount  of  provisions,  which 
proved  of  inestimable  value  to  the  men  in  their  exhausted  condition — for  such 
had  been  their  hardships  and  sufferings,  from  hunger  and  exposure  to  water, 
that  the  comparative  mildness  of  the  winter  alone  saved  them  from  perishing. 

On  the  evening  of  the  23d  of  February,  1779,  the  attack  was  made — the 
sharp  crack  of  the  rifle  being  the  first  intimation  Hamilton  had  of  the  presence 
of  an  enemy.  The  riflemen,  securely  sheltered  in  a  ditch,  poured  in  continu- 
ous vollies  of  balls  into  the  port-holes  of  the  fort,  and  with  such  unerring 
aim  that  every  gunner  who  presented  himself,  was  immediately  killed,  and  the 
garrison,  panic  stricken,  abandoned  the  guns.  The  next  day,  Hamilton  sur- 
rendered the  fort,  with  valuable  military  stores,  and  its  garrison  of  seventy- 
nine  men.  Hamilton  and  his  principal  officers  were  sent  prisoners  to  Virginia. 
The  Executive  Council  consigned  him  and  his  associates  to  imprisonment  in 
irons. 

This  treatment  of  the  British  governor  was  perfectly  proper.  While  in 
command  at  Detroit,  he  was  notorious  for  his  cruelty  toward  prisoners,  and 
as  further  inducements  to  the  Indians  to  murder  their  captives,  he  gave  stand- 
ing rewards  for  scalps,  but  offered  none  for  prisoners.  Hence,  the  Indians 
were  accustomed  to  compel  their  captives  to  carry  their  baggage  into  the 
vicinity  of  Detroit;  there  they  put  them  to  death,  and  as  they  entered  the  fort 
with  the  scalps  of  their  murdered  victims,  were  welcomed,  by  Hamilton,  with 
discharges  of  cannon.  He  also  gave  orders  to  the  volunteer  scalping  parties 
of  whites  and  Indians,  to  spare  neither  men,  women  nor  children. 

At  Vincennes,  Col.  Clarke  planned  a  campaign  for  the  capture  of  Detroit, 
but  its  great  distance,  and  want  of  sufficient  means,  compelled  him  to  abandon 
the  enterprise.  Beside,  the  taking  of  Hamilton  and  his  principal  officers,  at 
Vincennes,  accomplished  the  main  benefits  that  would,  in  other  circumstances, 
have  arisen  from  its  capture. 

While  these  events  were  transpiring  in  the  Illinois  country,  the  Cherokees, 
under  their  chief,  Dragging  Canoe,  instigated  by  the  agents  of  Hamilton, 
committed  depredations  upon  the  frontiers  from  Pennsylvania  to  Georgia.  In 
April,  1779,  about  2000  men,  under  Col.  Evan  Shelby  and  Col.  John  Mont- 
gomery, rendezvoused  near  the  site  of  Rogersville,  Tennessee,  invaded  the 
country  of  the  hostile  Indians,  and  destroyed  eleven  of  their  towns.  This 
event  for  some  time  gave  peace  to  Tennessee,  and  opened  a  communication 
with  the  settlements  in  Kentucky. 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  year  1778,  the  border  settlements  on  the 
Monongahela  and  "the  upper  Ohio,  suffered  but  little  from  Indian  incursions. 
In  Kentucky,  their  principal  object  appeared  to  be  the  reduction  of  the  fort 
at  Boonesborough. 

Siege  of  Boonesborough. — On  the  7th  of  February,  while  at  the  Lower 
Blue  Licks,  on  Licking  River,  making  salt  for  the  settlements,  Capt.  Daniel 
Boone  and  twenty-seven  men  were  surprised  by  a  party  of  over  100  Indians. 
They  were  well  treated  by  the  Indians,  and  carried  'to  their  towns  on  the 
Miami.  At  old  Chillicothe,  near  the  site  of  Xenia,  Ohio,  Boone  was  adopted 
as  a  son  by  a  principal  chief.  About  the  middle  of  June  Boone  was  agonized 
by  the  assembling  at  old  Chillicothe  of  450  warriors,  armed,  painted  and 


104  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES. 

equipped  in  the  most  frightful  manner,  for  an  expedition  against  Boonesbo- 
rough.  His  captivity  now  gave  him  pleasure,  as  it  would  be  the  means 
of  his  saving  his  friends  from  destruction.  Before  sunrise  the  next  morning 
he  departed,  is  if  for  a  hunt,  and  rapidly  making  his  way  toward  Boones- 
borough,  arrived  there  four  days  after,  a  distance  of  160  miles,  during  which 
he  had  but  a  single  meal.  His  escape  occasioned  the  Indians  to  delay  their 
expedition  for  several  weeks.  About  the  first  of  August,  with  nineteen  men, 
Boone  proceeded  on  an  expedition  to  surprise  Paint  Creek  town,  on  the  Scioto, 
which  they  found  desertea.  Near  it,  they  encountered  and  had  a  skirmish 
with  a  party  of  about  thirty  Indians,  on  their  march  toward  Boonesborough; 
and,  on  the  7th,  discovered  the  trail  of  the  main  Indian  army,  under  Captain 
Duquesne,  within  a  day's  march  of  their  destination. 

On  the  8th,  the  enemy  appeared  in  great  force.  There  were  nearly  five 
hundred  Indian  warriors,  armed  and  painted  in  the  usual  manner,  and  what 
was  still  more  formidable,  they  were  conducted  by  Canadian  officers,  well 
skilled  in  the  usages  of  modern  warfare.  As  soon  as  they  were  arrayed  in 
front  of  the  fort,  the  British  colors  were  displayed,  and  an  officer,  with  a  flag, 
was  sent  to  demand  the  surrender  of  the  fort,  with  a  promise  of  quarter  and 
good  treatment  in  case  of  compliance,  and  threatening  "  the  hatchet"  in  case 
of  a  storm.  Boone  requested  two  days  for  consideration,  which,  in  defiance 
of  all  experience  and  common  sense,  was  granted.  This  interval,  as  usual, 
was  employed  in  preparation  for  an  obstinate  resistance.  The  cattle  were 
brought  into  the  fort,  the  horses  secured,  and  all  things  made  ready  against 
the  commencement  of  hostilities. 

Boone  then  appeared  at  the  gate  of  the  fortress,  and  communicated  to  Capt. 
Duquesne  the  resolution  of  his  men  to  defend  the  fort  to  the  last  extremity. 
Disappointment  and  chagrin  were  strongly  painted  upon  the  face  of  the  Cana- 
dian at  his  answer;  but  endeavoring  to  disguise  his  feelings,  he  declared  that 
Governor  Hamilton  had  ordered  him  not  to  injure  the  men  if  it  could  be  avoided, 
and  that  if  nine  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the  fort  would  come  out  and 
treat  with  them,  they  would  instantly  depart  without  farther  hostility. 

The  word  "  treat"  sounded  so  pleasantly  in  the  ears  of  the  besieged,  that 
they  agreed  at  once  to  the  proposal,  and  Bocne  himself,  attended  by  eisjht  of 
his  men,  went  out  and  mingled  with  the  savages,  who  crowded  around  them 
in  great  numbers,  and  with  countenances  of  deep  anxiety.  The  treaty  then 
commenced  and  was  soon  concluded;  upon  which,  Duquesne  informed  Boone, 
.that  it  was  a  custom  with  the  Indians,  upon  the  conclusion  of  a  treaty  with 
the  whites,  for  two  warriors  to  take  hold  of  the  hand  of  each  white  man. 

Boone  thought  this  rather  a  singular  custom,  but  there  was  no  time  to  dis- 
pute about  etiquette,  particularly,  as  he  could  not  be  more  in  their  power  than 
he  already  was;  so  he  signified  his  willingness  to  conform  to  the  Indian  mode 
of  cementing  friendship.  Instantly,  two  warriors  approached  each  white  man, 
with  the  word  "  brother"  upon  their  lips,  but  a  very  different  expression  in 
their  eyes,  and  grappling  him  with  violence,  attempted  to  bear  him  off.  They 
probably  (unless  totally  infatuated)  expected  such  a  consummation,  and  all  at 
the  same  moment  sprung  from  their  enemies  and  ran  to  the  fort,  under  a  heavy 
fire,  which  fortunately  only  wounded  one  man. 

The  attack  instantly  commenced  by  a  heavy  fire  against  the  picketing,  and 
was  returned  with  fatal  accuracy  by  the  garrison.  The  Indians  quickly 
sheltered  themselves,  and  the  action  became  more  cautious  and  deliberate. 
Finding  but  little  effect  from  the  fire  of  his  men,  Duquesne  next  resorted  to  a 
more  formidable  mode  of  attack.  The  fort  stood  on  the  south  bank  of  the 
river,  within  sixty  yards  of  the  water.  Commencing  under  the  bank,  where 
their  operations  were  concealed  from  the  garrison,  they  attempted  to  push  a 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL    CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  105 

mine  into  the  fort.  Their  object,  however,  was  fortunately  discovered  by  the 
quantity  of  fresh  earth  which  they  were  compelled  to  throw  into  the  river, 
and  by  which  the  water  became  muddy  for  some  distance  below.  Boone,  who 
had  regained  his  usual  sagacity,  instantly  cut  a  trench  within  the  fort  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  intersect  the  line  of  their  approach,  and  thus  frustrated  their 
design. 

The  enemy  exhausted  all  the  ordinary  artifices  of  Indian  warfare,  but  were 
steadily  repulsed  in  every  effort.  Finding  their  numbers  daily  thinned  by  the 
deliberate  but  fatal  fire  of  the  garrison,  and  seeing  no  prospect  of  final  success, 
they  broke  up  on  the  ninth  day  of  the  siege,  and  returned  home.  The  loss 
of  the  garrison  was  two  men  killed  and  four  wounded.  On  the  part  of  the 
savages,  thirty-seven  were  killed  and  many  wounded,  who,  as  usual,  were  all 
carried  off. 

Late  in  the  fall  succeeding,  Gen.  M'Intosh  marched  from  the  vicinity  of 
Pittsburgh,  with  one  thousand  men,  on  an  expedition  against  the  Sandusky 
towns;  winter  setting  in,  he  relinquished  his  main  design,  and  erected  Fort 
Laurens,  on  the  site  of  Bolivar,  Ohio.  Having  garrisoned  this  fort  with  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men,  under  Col.  John  Gibson,  he  returned.  Early  in  the 
succeeding  year,  1779,  Fort  Laurens  sustained  a  harassing  siege  of  several 
weeks'  duration,  the  savages  numbering  over  eight  hundred  warriors. 

In  the  ensuing  summer  the  Indians  kept  the  settlements  of  Kentucky  in  a 
continual  alarm  by  their  small  scalping  parties,  which  penetrated  the  country 
in  every  direction.  To  protect  the  settlements,  Col.  Bowman,  in  July,  with 
a  body  of  160  mounted  Kentuckians,  proceeded  on  an  unsuccessful  expedition 
against  old  Chillicothe. 

Rodgers'  Defeat. — The  most  unfortunate  event  of  the  year  was  Rodgers' 
defeat  and  massacre  at  the  mouth  of  the  Licking,  opposite  the  site  of  Cincin- 
nati. Col.  David  Rodgers  and  Capt.  Benham,  with  100  men,  were  in  two 
large  keel  boats,  on  their  way  from  New  Orleans,  with  supplies  of  ammunition 
and  provisions  for  the  western  posts.  In  October,  when  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Licking,  a  few  Indians  were  seen,  and  supposing  himself  to  be  superior 
in  numbers,  Rodgers  landed  to  attack  them,  and  was  led  into  an  ambuscade  of 
400  Indians.  The  whites  fought  with  desperation,  but  in  a  furious  onset  with 
tomahawk  and  scalping-knife,  the  commander,  with  about  ninety  of  his 
men,  were  soon  dispatched.  The  escape  of  Capt.  Benham  was  almost  mi- 
raculous. A  shot  passed  through  both  legs,  shattering  the  bones.  With  great 
pain  he  dragged  himself  into  the  top  of  a  fallen  tree,  where  he  lay  concealed 
from  the  search  of  the  Indians  after  the  battle  was  over.  He  remained  there 
until  the  evening  of  the  next  day,  when  being  in  danger  of  famishing,  he  shot 
a  raccoon  which  he  perceived  descending  a  tree  near  where  he  lay.  Just  at 
that  moment  he  heard  a  human  cry,  apparently  within  a  few  rods.  Supposing 
it  to  be  an  enemy,  he  loaded  his  gun  and  remained  silent.  A  second,  and 
then  a  third  halloo  was  given,  accompanied  by  the  exclamation,  "  Whoever 
you  are,  Cor  God's  sake  answer  me?"  This  time  Benham  replied,  and  soon 
found  the  unknown  to  be  a  fellow  soldier,  with  both  arms  broken !  Thus 
each  was  enabled  to  supply  the  deficiency  of  the  other.  Benham  could  load 
and  shoot  game,  while  his  companion  could  kick  it  to  Benham  to  cook.  In 
this  way  they  supported  themselves  for  several  weeks,  until  their  wounds 
healed  sufficiently  to  enable  them  to  move  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  Licking 
River,  where  they  remained  until  the  27th  of  November,  when  a  flat-boat 
appeared  moving  by  on  the  river.  They  hailed  the  boat,  but  the  crew  fearing 
it  to  be  an  Indian  decoy,  at  first  refused  to  come  to  their  aid,  but  eventually 
were  prevailed  upon  to  take  them  on  board.  Both  of  them  recovered.  Ben- 
ham  served  through  the  Indian  wars  down  to  the  victory  of  Wayne,  and 


106  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

subsequently  resided  near  Lebanon,  Ohio,  until  his  death,  about  the  year 
1808. 

The  successof  Col.  Clarke  in  conquering  the  Illinois  country,  together  with 
the  capture  of  the  British  governor,  Hamilton,  the  great  instigator  of  Indian 
invasion  in  the  spring  of  1779,  revived  the  spirit  of  emigration  to  the  west. 
This  rapid  increase  of  population  so  exhausted  the  supplies  of  food  in  the 
country,  as  in  the  succeeding  winter  (1779  '80)  to  produce  great  distress  and 
alarm. 

Byrd's  Invasion  of  Kentucky. — In  the  spring  of  1780,  the  British  com- 
mandant at  Detroit  prepared  for  the  reduction  of  Ruddle's  and  Martin's  sta- 
tions on  the  Licking  River.  On  the  22d  of  June,  Col.  Byrd,  of  the  British 
service,  appeared  before  Ruddle's  station  with  600  Indians  and  Canadians,  and 
several  pieces  of  artillery.  Resistance  was  hopeless;  the  fort  gates  were 
thrown  open,  and  the  garrison  surrendered  at  discretion.  The  same  scene  was 
acted  at  Martin's  station.  Then  the  whole  force  commenced  a  precipitate 
retreat;  and  many  of  the  women  and  children,  loaded  with  plunder  by  the 
Indians,  being  unable  to  keep  up,  were  tomahawked  and  scalped.  At  this 
time  there  were  not  over  300  fighting  men  north  of  Kentucky  River,  and  these 
were  scattered  in  stations  many  miles  apart;  the  enemy,  therefore,  could 
easily  have  depopulated  the  country  in  a  week  or  two,  but  for  some  unknown 
reason  failed  to  prosecute  the  campaign  any  farther. 

Just  previous  to  the  invasion  by  Byrd,  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark  built  Fort 
Jefferson  on  the  Mississippi,  in  the  country  of  the  Chickasaws,  a  few  miles 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio.  In  May,  1780,  about  fourteen  hundred  In- 
dians, with  one  hundred  and  forty  British  troops,  from  Mackinaw,  made  an 
unsuccessful  attack  upon  St.  Louis,  then  a  town  of  less  than  one  thousand  in- 
habitants, and  within  the  dominions  of  Spain,  that  power  being  then  at  war 
with  England.  After  killing  and  scalping  about  twenty  persons,  who  hap- 
pened to  be  in  the  fields  adjacent,  the  Indians,  from  some  unknown  reason, 
refused  to  co-operate  any  longer  with  the  British  troops. 

In  the  summer,  eight  hundred  men,  under  Col.  Brodhead,  assembled  at 
Wheeling,  and  marched  against  the  Indian  villages  in  the  forks  of  the  Mus- 
kingum,  on  the  site  of  Coshocton,  Ohio.  They  destroyed  one  or  two  villages, 
and  took  a  number  of  prisoners;  among  whom  were  sixteen  warriors,  who,  by 
decision  of  a  council  of  war,  were  led  out  and,  in  cool  blood,  tomahawked 
and  scalped.  A  noble  looking  chief  came  into  camp  on  a  mission  of  peace 
the  next  morning,  under  a  promise  of  safety.  While  conversing  with  the 
commander  Whetzel,  an  Indian  fighter  came  up  behind,  and  with  a  blow  of 
his  tomahawk,  cleft  open  his  skull.  On  the  retreat,  the  remaining  prisoners, 
except  a  few  women  and  children,  were  massacred. 

On  Clarke's  return  from  Fort  Jefferson,  he  organized  a  force  of  one  thou- 
sand men,  and  in  July,  rapidly  and  secretly  marched  into  the  Miami  country, 
and  destroyed  the  Piqua  towns  on  Mad  River,  and  Chillicothe  on  the  Little 
Miami.  In  the  year  following,  1781,  the  Chickasaws,  indignant  at  the  erec- 
tion of  Fort  Jefferson  upon  their  soil,  led  on  by  Colbert,  a  half-breed,  besieged 
it  with  much  vigor.  Gen.  Clarke  marched  from  Kaskaskia  with  a  reinforce- 
ment, and  relieved  the  fort  from  its  perilous  situation.  Shortly  after,  Clarke 
dismantled  the  fort,  and  the  Chickasaws  ceased  their  hostility. 

In  the  ensuing  spring,  1782,  the  Indians  again  infested  the  frontiers.  In 
March,  twenty-five  Wyandots  invested  Estill's  station;  on  their  retiring,  Capt. 
Estill  pursued  with  precisely  the  same  number  of  men.  As  they  met  the  op- 
posing parties  tree'd — and  never  was  battle  more  like  single  combat — each 
man  sought  his  man,  and  fired  only  when  he  saw  his  mark.  The  firing  was 
deliberate,  and  each  cautiously  looked  for  his  foe  at  the  peril  of  his  life.  For 


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FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  109 

two  hours  this  desperate  contest  was  kept  up,  until  about  half  of  each  party 
were  slain,  when  Lieut*  Miller  and  six  men  fled;  this  gave  the  Indians  the  as- 
cendancy, and  the  battle  was  soon  finished.  Estill,  in  a  deadly  struggle  with 
a  powerful  warrior,  received  the  knife  of  his  antagonist  in  his  heart;  just  after, 
his  arm  gave  way  at  a  former  fracture,  and  that  instant,  the  Indian  received 
his  death  from  the  unerring  rifle  of  one  of  the  whites. 

A  melancholy  disaster,  about  the  same  time,  befell  a  body  of  one  hundred 
and  seven  United  States  troops,  under  Capt.  Laherty,  on  their  way  down  the 
Ohio  to  Fort  Steuben,  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio.  They  were  attacked  by  an 
overwhelming  force  of  Indians,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Miami,  and,  al- 
though making  a  brave  resistance,  were  compelled  to  retreat,  with  the  loss  of 
about  fifty  slain. 

Massacre  of  the  Moravian  or  Christian  Indians. — As  early  as  the  year 
1762,  the  Moravian  missionaries,  Post  and  Heckewelder,  established  a  mis- 
sion among  the  Indians  on  the  Tuscarawas.  Before  the  close  of  the  war  of 
the  revolution,  they  had  three  flourishing  stations  or  villages,  viz:  Shoenbrun, 
Gnadenhutten  and  Salem.  These  were  respectively  about  five  miles  apart, 
and  stood  near  fifty  miles  west  of  the  site  of  Steubenville,  Ohio.  In  the  war, 
their  position  was  eminently  dangerous.  They  were  midway  between  the 
hostile  towns  on  the  Sandusky  ana  the  frontier  settlements,  and  being  on  the  di- 
rect route  of  war  parties  of  either,  were  compelled  occasionally  to  give 
sustenance  and  shelter  to  both.  This  excited  the  jealousy  of  the  contending 
races,  although  they  preserved  a  strict  neutrality,  and  looked  with  horror  upon 
the  shedding  of  blood. 

In  February,  1782,  many  murders  were  committed  upon  the  upper  Ohio 
and  the  Monongahela,  by  the  hostile  Indians.  The  settlers  believing  that  the 
Moravians  were  either  concerned  in  these  murders,  or  had  harbored  those  who 
were,  determined  to  destroy  their  towns,  the  existence  of  which,  they  deemed 
dangerous  to  their  safety.  Accordingly,  in  March,  about  ninety  volunteers 
assembled  under  the  command  of  Col.  David  Williamson,  in  the  Mingo  Bot- 
tom, just  below  the  site  of  Steubenville.  Arriving  in  the  vicinity  of  Gnaden- 
hutten, they,  on  the  morning  of  the  8th,  surrounded  and  entered  the  town, 
where  they  found  a  large  party  of  Indians  in  a  field,  gathering  corn.  They 
informed  the  Indians  that  they  had  come  on  an  errand  of  peace  and  friend- 
ship— that  they  were  going  to  take  them  to  Fort  Pitt  for  protection.  The 
unsuspecting  Indians,  pleased  at  the  prospect  of  their  removal,  delivered  up 
their  arms  which  they  used  for  hunting,  and  commenced  preparing  breakfast 
for  themselves  and  guests.  An  Indian  messenger  was  dispatched  to  Salem, 
to  apprise  the  brethren  there  of  the  new  arrangement,  and  both  companies 
then  returned  to  Gnadenhutten.  On  reaching  the  village,  a  number  of  mounted 
militia  started  for  the  Salem  settlement,  but  ere  they  reached  it,  found  that 
the  Moravian  Indians  at  that  place  had  already  left  their  corn-fields,  by  the 
advice  of  the  messenger,  and  were  on  the  road  to  join  their  brethren  at  Gnad- 
enhutten. Measures  had  been  adopted  by  the  militia  to  secure  the  Indians 
whom  they  had  at  first  decoyed  into  their  power.  They  were  bound,  confined 
in  two  houses,  and  well  guarded.  On  the  arrival  of  the  Indians  from  Salem, 
(their  arms  having  been  previously  secured  without  suspicion  of  any  hostile 
intention,)  they  were  also  fettered,  and  divided  between  the  two  prison-houses, 
the  males  in  one,  the  females  in  the  other.  The  number  thus  confined  in 
both,  including  men,  women  and  children,  have  been  estimated  from  ninety 
to  ninety-six. 

A  council  was  then  held  to  determine  how  the  Moravian  Indians  should  be 
disposed  of.     This  self-constituted  military  court  embraced  both  officers  and 
privates.     The  late  Dr.  Dodridge,  in  his  published  notes  on  Indian  wars, 
14 


HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

&c.,  says:  "Colonel  Williamson  put  the  question,  whether  the  Moravian  In- 
dians  should  be  taken  prisoners  to  Fort  Pitt,  or  put  to  death  9"  requesting 
those  who  were  in  favor  of  saving  their  lives  to  step  out  and  form  a  second 
rank.  Only  eighteen  out  of  the  whole  number  stepped  forth  as  advocates  of 
mercy.  In  these,  the  feelings  of  humanity  were  not  extinct.  In  the  majority, 
which  was  large,  no  sympathy  was  manifested.  They  resolved  to  murder 
(for  no  other  word  can  express  the  act)  the  whole  of  the  Christian  Indians  in 
their  custody.  Among  these  were  several  who  had  contributed  to  aid  the 
missionaries  in  the  work  of  conversion  and  civilization — two  of  whom  emi- 
grated from  New  Jersey  after  the  death  of  their  spiritual  pastor,  the  Rev. 
David  Brainard.  One  woman,  who  could  speak  good  English,  knelt  before 
the  commander  and  begged  his  protection.  Her  supplication  was  unavailing. 
They  were  ordered  to  prepare  for  death.  But  the  warning  had  been  antici- 
pated. Their  firm  belief  in  their  new  creed  was  shown  forth  in  the  sad  hour 
of  their  tribulation,  by  religious  exercises  of  preparation.  The  orisons  of 
these  devoted  people  were  already  ascending  the  throne  of  the  Most  High ! — 
the  sound  of  the  Christian's  hymn  and  the  Christian's  prayer  found  an  echo 
in  the  surrounding  woods,  but  no  responsive  feeling  in  the  bosoms  of  their  exe- 
cutioners. With  gun,  and  spear,  and  tomahawk,  and  scalping-knife,  the  work 
of  death  progressed  in  these  slaughter-houses,  until  not  a  sigh  or  moan  was 
heard  to  proclaim  the  existence  of  human  life  within — all,  save  two — two  In- 
dian boys  escaped,  as  if  by  a  miracle,  to  be  witnesses  in  after  times  of  the 
savage  cruelty  of  the  white  man  toward  their  unfortunate  race. 

Of  the  number  thus  cruelly  murdered  by  the  backwoodsmen  of  the  upper  Ohio, 
between  fifty  and  sixty  were  women  and  children — some  of  them  innocent 
babes.  No  resistance  was  made;  one  only  attempted  to  escape.  The  whites 
finished  the  tragedy  by  setting  fire  to  the  town,  including  the  slaughter-houses 
with  the  bodies  in  them,  all  of  which  were  consumed.  A  detachment  was 
sent  to  the  upper  town,  Shoenbrun,  but  the  people  having  received  informa- 
tion of  what  was  transpiring  below,  had  deserted  it. 

Those  engaged  in  the  campaign,  were  generally  men  of  standing,  at  home. 
When  the  expedition  was  formed,  it  was  given  out  to  the  public  that  its  sole  ob- 
ject was  to  remove  the  Moravians  to  Pittsburgh,  and  by  destroying  the  villages, 
deprive  the-  hostile  savages  of  a  shelter.  In  their  towns,  various  articles 
plundered  from  the  whites,  were  discovered.  One  man  is  said  to  have  found 
the  bloody  clothes  of  his  wife  and  children,  who  had  recently  been  murdered. 
These  articles,  doubtless,  had  been  purchased  of  the  hostile  Indians.  The 
sight  of  these,  it  is  said,  bringing  to  mind  the  forms  of  murdered  relations, 
wrought  them  up  to  an  uncontrollable  pitch  of  frenzy  which  nothing  but  blood 
could  satisfy. 

In  the  year  1799,  when  the  remnant  of  the  Moravian  Indians  were  recalled 
by  the  United  States  to  reside  on  the  same  spot,  an  old  Indian,  in  company 
with  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Carr,  walked  over  the  desolate  scene,  and 
showed  to  the  white  man  an  excavation,  which  had  formerly  been  a  cellar, 
and  in  which  were  still  some  moldering  bones  of  the  victims,  though  seven- 
teen years  had  passed  since  their  tragic  death — the  tears,  in  the  meantime, 
falling  down  the  wrinkled  face  of  this  aged  child  of  the  Tuscarawas. 

Crawford'*  Defeat. — At  the  time  of  the  massacre,  less  than  half  of  the 
Moravian  Indians  were  at  their  towns,  on  the  Tuscarawas,  the  remainder 
having  been  carried  off,  by  the  hostile  Indians,  to  Sandusky,  had  settled  these 
in  their  vicinity.  Immediately  after  the  return  of  Williamson's  men,  what 
may  be  called  a  second  Moravian  campaign,  was  projected;  the  object  being 
first  to  finish  the  destruction  of  the  Christian  Indians,  at  their  new  establish- 
ment, on  the  Sandusky,  and  then  destroy  the  Wyandot  towns  on  the  same 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  HI 

river.  The  long  continuance  of  the  Indian  war,  the  many  murders  ana  bar. 
barities  committed  upon  the  frontiers,  had  so  wrought  upon  the  inhabitants,  as 
to  create  an  indiscriminate  thirst  for  revenge.  Having  had  a  taste  of  blood 
and  plunder,  in  their  recent  expedition,  without  loss  or  danger  on  their  part,  it 
was  now  determined  not  to  spare  the  lives  of  any  Indians  who  might  fall  into 
their  hands,  whether  friends  or  foes. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  1782,  four  hundred  and  eighty  men,  principally  from 
the  upper  Ohio,  assembled  at  the  Old  Mingo  towns,  near  the  site  of  Steuben 
ville.  At  this  place,  they  chose  Col.  Wm.  Crawford  commander,  his  com- 
petitor being  Col.  Williamson.  Crawford*  accepted  the  office  with  great  re- 
luctance. Soon  after,  his  men  exhibited  such  an  utter  disregard  to  military 
order,  that  he  was  depressed  with  a  presentiment  of  evil. 

Notwithstanding  the  secrecy  and  dispatch  of  the  enterprise,  the  Indian  spies 
discovered  their  rendezvous,  on  the  Mingo  Bottom,  knew  their  number  and 
destination.  They  visited  every  encampment  on  their  leaving  it,  and  saw 
written  on  the  barks  of  trees  and  scraps  of  paper,  that  "  no  quarter  was  to  be 
given  to  any  Indian,  wheth'er  man,  woman  or  child." 

Their  route  was  by  the  "  Williamson  trail,"  through  the  burnt  Moravian 
towns.  On  the  6th  of  June,  they  arrived  at  the  site  of  the  Moravian  villages, 
on  a  branch  of  the  Sandusky.  Here,  instead  of  meeting  with  Indians  and 
plunder,  they  found  nothing  but  vestiges  of  desolation.  A  few  huts,  surrounded 
by  high  grass,  alone  remained;  their  intended  victims  having,  some  time  before, 
moved  to  the  Scioto,  some  eighteen  miles  south.  A  council  then  decided  to 
march  on  north  one  day  longer,  and  if  then,  no  Indian  towns  were  reached,  to 
retreat.  About  2  o'clock,  the  next  day,  while  on  their  march  through  the  San- 
dusky  plains,  the  advanced  guard  were  driven  in  by  Indians  concealed  in 
great  numbers  in  the  high  grass.  The  action  then  became  general,  and  the 
firing  was  incessant  and  heavy  until  dark.f  In  this  battle,  the  whites  had  the 
advantage,  and  lost  but  a  few  men.  The  Indians  were  driven  from  the  woods 
and  prevented  from  gaining  a  strong  position  on  the  right  flank,  by  the  vigi- 
lance and  bravery  of  Major  Leet.  During  the  night,  both  armies  lay  upon 
their  arms  behind  a  line  of  fires,  to  prevent  surprise.  The  next  day,  the  In- 
dians were  seen  in  large  bodies  traversing  the  plains,  while  others  were  busy 
carrying  off  their  dead  and  wounded.  At  a  council  of  officers,  Col.  William- 
son proposed  marching,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  volunteers,  to  upper  Sandusky; 
but  the  commander  opposed  it,  stating  that  the  Indians,  whose  numbers  were 
hourly  increasing,  would  attack  and  conquer  their  divided  forces  in  detail. 
The  dead  were  buried,  and  preparations  made  for  a  retreat  after  dark.  The 
Indians  perceiving  their  intention,  about  sunset,  attacked  them  with  great  fury 
in  all  directions,  except  that  of  Sandusky.  In  the  course  of  the  night,  the 
army  commenced  their  retreat,  regained  their  old  trail  by  a  circuitous  route, 
and  continued  on  with  but  slight  annoyance  from  the  enemy.  Unfortunately, 
when  the  retreat  commenced,  a  large  number  erroneously  judging  that  the  In- 
dians would  follow  the  main  body,  broke  off  into  small  parties  and  made  their 
way  toward  their  homes,  in  different  directions.  These  the  Indians,  for  days, 
pursued  in  detachments,  with  such  activity  that  but  very  few  escaped,  some 
being  killed  almost  within  sight  of  the  Ohio  River. 

Soon  after  the  retreat  began,  Col.  Crawford  having  missed  his  son  and 

*  Col.  Wm.  Crawford  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  but  at  this  time  was  residing  near  Brownsville,  Pa. 
He  was  a  captain  in  the  old  French  war,  and  in  the  revolution,  raised  a  regiment  of  continentals 
by  his  own  exertions.  He  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Washington — a  man  of  character,  and  of  noted 
bravery.  At  this  time,  he  was  about  fifty  years  of  age. 

t  The  battle  was  fought  three  miles  north  of  upper  Sandusky.  The  large  tree  on  the  right  of  the 
engraving  (Eng.  p.  110)  and  others  in  the  vicinity,  even  to  the  present  day,  show  marks  of  the 
bullets. 


112  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

several  of  his  connections,  halted  and  unsuccessfully  searched  the  line  for 
them  as  it  passed  on,  and  then,  owing  to  the  weariness  of  his  horse,  was  un- 
able to  overtake  the  retreating  army.  Falling  in  company  with  Dr.  Knight 
and  others,  they  kept  on  until  the  third  day,  when  they  were  attacked,  and 
Crawford  and  Knight  captured.  They  were  taken  to  an  Indian  encampment 
in  the  vicinity,  where  they  found  nine  other  prisoners,  and  all,  the  next  morn- 
ing, were  conducted  toward  the  Tyemochte,  by  Pipe  and  Wingenund,  Dela- 
ware  chiefs,  except  four  of  them,  who  were  killed  and  scalped  on  the  way. 

At  a  Delaware  town  on  the  Tyemochte,  a  few  miles  northwesterly  from  the 
site  of  upper  Sandusky,  preparations  were  made  for  the  burning  of  Col.  Craw- 
ford. In  the  vicinity,  the  remaining  five  of  the  nine  prisoners  were  toma- 
hawked and  scalped  by  squaws  and  boys.  Crawford's  son  and  son-in-law 
were  executed  at  a  Shawanese  town. 

The  account  of  the  burning  of  Crawford  is  thus  given  by  Dr.  Knight,  his 
companion,  who  subsequently  escaped.  When  we  went  to  the  fire,  the  colo- 
nel was  stripped  naked,  ordered  to  sit  down  by  the  fire,  and  then  they  beat  him 
with  sticks  and  their  fists.  Presently  after,  I  was  treated  in  the  same  manner. 
They  then  tied  a  rope  to  the  foot  of  a  post  about  fifteen  feet  high,  bound  the 
colonel's  hands  behind  his  back  and  fastened  the  rope  to  the  ligature  between 
his  wrists.  The  rope  was  long  enough  for  him  to  sit  down  or  walk  round  the 
post  once  or  twice,  and  return  the  same  way.  The  colonel  then  called  to 
Girty,  and  asked  if  they  intended  to  burn  him?  Girty  answered,  yes.  The 
colonel  said  he  would  take  it  all  patiently.  Upon  this,  Captain  Pipe,  a  Dela- 
ware chief,  made  a  speech  to  the  Indians,  viz :  about  thirty  or  forty  men,  and 
sixty  or  seventy  squaws  and  boys. 

When  the  speech  was  finished,  they  all  yelled  a  hideous  and  hearty  assent 
to  what  had  been  said.  The  Indian  men  then  took  up  their  guns  and  shot 
powder  into  the  colonel's  body,  from  his  feet  as  far  up  as  his  neck.  I  think 
that  not  less  than  seventy  loads  were  discharged  upon  his  naked  body.  They 
then  crowded  about  him,  and  to  the  best  of  my  observation,  cut  off  his  ears; 
when  the  throng  had  dispersed  a  little,  I  saw  the  blood  running  from  both  sides 
of  his  head  in  consequence  thereof. 

The  fire  was  about  six  or  seven  yards  from  the  post  to  which  the  colonel 
was  tied;  it  was  made  of  small  hickory  poles,  burnt  quite  through  in  the  mid- 
dle, each  end  of  the  poles  remaining  about  six  feet  in  length.  Three  "or  four 
Indians,  by  turns,  would  take  up,  individually,  one  of  these  burning  pieces  of 
wood,  and  apply  it  to  his  naked  body,  already  burnt  black  with  the  powder. 
These  tormentors  presented  themselves  on  every  side  of  him  with  the  burning 
fagots  and  poles.  Some  of  the  squaws  took  broad  boards,  upon  which  they 
would  carry  a  quantity  of  burning  coals  and  hot  embers,  and  throw  on  him,  so 
that  in  a  short  time,  he  had  nothing  but  coals  of  fire  and  hot  ashes  to  walk 
upon. 

In  the  midst  of  these  extreme  tortures,  he  called  to  Simon  Girty,  and  beg- 
ged of  him  to  shoot  him;  but  Girty  making  no  answer,  he  called  to  him  again. 
Girty  then,  by  way  of  derision,  told  the  colonel  he  had  no  gun,  at  the  same 
time  turning  about  to  an  Indian  who  was  behind  him,  laughed  heartily,  and 
by  all  his  gestures,  seemed  delighted  at  the  horrid  scene. 

Girty  then  came  up  to  me  and  bade  me  prepare  for  death.  He  said,  how- 
ever, I  was  not  to  die  at  that  place,  but  to  be  burnt  at  the  Shawanese  towns. 
He  swore  by  G — d  I  need  not  expect  to  escape  death,  but  should  suffer  it  in 
all  its  extremities. 

Col.  Crawford,  at  this  period  of  his  sufferings,  besought  the  Almighty  to 
have  mercy  on  his  soul,  spoke  very  low,  and  bore  his  torments  with  the  most 
manly  fortitude.  He  continued  in  all  the  extremities  of  pain  for  an  hour  and 


CRAWFORD'S   BATTLE-FIELD. 

"  The  large  tree  on  the  right  of  the  engraving,  and  others  in  ths  vicinity,  even  to  the  pres- 
ent day,  show  marks  of  the  bullets  " 


113 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  115 

three  quarters  or  two  hours  longer,  as  near  as  I  can  judge,  when  at  last,  oeing 
almost  exhausted,  he  lay  down  on  his  belly;  they  then  scalped  him,  and  re- 
peatedly threw  the  scalp  in  my  face,  telling  me,  "  that  was  my  great  captain." 
An  old  squaw  (whose  appearance  every  way  answered  the  ideas  people  enter- 
tain of  the  devil)  got  a  board,  took  a  parcel  of  coals  and  ashes  and  laid  them 
on  his  back  and  head,  after  he  had  been  scalped;  he  then  raised  himself  upon 
his  feet  and  be<pn  to  walk  round  the  post;  they  next  put  a  burning  stick  to 
him,  as  usual,  but  he  seemed  more  insensible  of  pain  than  before. 

The  Indian  fellow  who  had  me  in  charge,  now  took  me  away  to  Captain 
Pipe's  house,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  place  of  the  colpnel's 
execution.  I  was  bound  all  night,  and  thus  prevented  from  seeing  the  last  of 
the  horrid  spectacle.  Next  morning,  being  June  12th,  the  Indian  untied  me, 
painted  me  black,  and  we  set  off  for  the  Shawanese  town,  which  he  told  me 
was  somewhat  less  than  forty  miles  distant  from  that  place.  We  soon  came 
to  the  spot  where  the  colonel  had  been  burnt,  as  it  was  partly  in  our  way;  I 
saw  his  bones  lying  among  the  remains  of  the  fire,  almost  burnt  to  ashes;  I 
suppose,  after  he  was  deaol,  they  laid  his  body  on  the  fire.  The  Indian  told 
me  that  was  my  big  captain,  and  gave  the  scalp  halloo. 

Most  of  the  prisoners  taken  in  this  campaign,  were  burned  to  death,  with 
cruel  tortures,  in  retaliation  for  the  massacre  of  the  Moravian  Indians,  who 
were  principally  Delawares. 

This  invasion  was  the  last  made  from  the  region  of  the  upper  Ohio  during 
the  war.  But  the  Indians,  encouraged  by  their  successes,  overran  these  settle- 
ments with  scalping  parties.  In  September,  three  hundred  Indians,  for  three 
days,  unsuccessfully  invested  the  fort  at  Wheeling.  A  detachment  of  one 
hundred  of  these,  made  an  attack  upon  Rice's  Fort,  twelve  miles  north.  Al- 
though defended  by  only  six  men,  they  were  obliged  to  retire  with  loss. 

Siege  of  Bryant's  Station. — Shortly  after  the  defeat  of  Crawford,  about 
six  hundred  Indians,  under  the  influence  of  the  British  at  Detroit,  assembled 
at  old  Chillicothe  to  proceed  on  an  expedition  intended  to  exterminate  the 
"Long  Knife"  from  Kentucky.  On  the  night  of  the  14th  of  August,  1782, 
this  body  gathered  around  Bryant's  station,  a  fort  on  the  Elkhorn,  about  five 
miles  from  Lexington. 

The  fort  itself  contained  about  forty  cabins,  placed  in  parallel  lines,  con- 
nected by  strong  palisades,  and  garrisoned  by  forty  or  fifty  men.  It  was  a 
parallelogram  of  thirty  rods  in  length  by  twenty  in  breadth,  forming  an  enclo- 
sure of  nearly  four  acres,  which  was  protected  by  digging  a  trench  four  or  five 
feet  deep,  in  which  strong  and  heavy  pickets  were  planted  by  ramming  the 
earth  well  down  against  them.  These  were  twelve  feet  out  of  the  ground, 
being  formed  of  hard,  durable  timber,  at  least  a  foot  in  diameter.  Such  a 
wall,  it  must  be  obvious,  defied  climbing  or  leaping,  and  indeed  any  means  of 
attack,  cannon  excepted.  At  the  angles  were  small  squares  or  block-houses, 
which  projected  beyond  the  palisades,  and  served  to  impart  additional  strength 
at  the  corners,  as  well  as  permitted  the  besieged  to  pour  a  raking  fire  across 
the  advanced  party  of  the  assailants.  Two  folding  gates  were  in  front  and  rear, 
swinging  on  prodigious  wooden  hinges,  sufficient  for  the  passage  in  and  out 
of  men  or  wagons  in  times  of  security.  These  were  of  course  provided  with 
suitable  bars. 

This  was  the  state  of  things,  as  respects  the  means  of  defense,  at  Bryant's 
station  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  August,  1782,  while  the  savages  lay 
concealed  in  the  thick  weeds  around  it,  which  in  those  days  grew  so  abun- 
dantly and  tall,  as  would  have  sufficed  to  conceal  mounted  horsemen.  They 
waited  for  daylight,  and  the  opening  of  the  gates  for  the  garrison  to  get  water 


116  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

for  the  day's  supply  from  an  adjacent  spring,  before  they  should  commence  the 
work  of  carnage. 

It  seerns  that  the  garrison  here  were  rather  taken  off  their  guard.  Some  of 
the  palisade  work  had  rot  been  secured  as  permanently  as  possible,  and  the 
original  party  which  built  the  fort  had  been  tempted,  in  the  hurry  of  con- 
structing  and  their  fewness  of  hands,  to  restrict  its  extent,  so  as  not  to  include 
a  spring  of  water  within  its  limits.  Great  as  were  these  disadvantages,  they 
were  on  the  eve  of  exposure  to  a  still  greater  one,  for  had  the  attack  been  de 
layed  a  few  hours,  the  garrison  would  have  been  found  disabled  by  sending 
oft'  a  reinforcement  to  a  neighboring  station — Holder's  settlement — on  an  un 
founded  alarm  that  it  was  attacked  by  a  party  of  savages.  As  it  was,  no 
sooner  had  a  few  of  the  men  made  their  appearance  outside  of  the  gate  than 
they  were  fired  on,  and  compelled  to  regain  the  inside. 

According  to  custom,  the  Indians  resorted  to  stratagem  for  success.  A 
detachment  of  one  hundred  warriors  attacked  the  south-east  angle  of  the  station, 
calculating  to  draw  the  entire  body  of  the  besieged  to  that  quarter  to  repel  the 
attack,  and  thus  enable  the  residue  of  the  assailants,  five  hundred  strong,  who 
were  on  the  opposite  side  in  ambush  near  the  spring,  to  take  advantage  of  its 
unprotected  situation,  when  the  whole  force  of  the  defense  should  be  drawn 
oft'  to  resist  the  assault  at  the  south-east.  Their  purpose,  however,  was  com- 
prehended inside,  and  instead  of  returning  the  fire  at  the  smaller  party,  they 
secretly  dispatched  an  express  to  Lexington  for  assistance,  and  began  to  repair 
the  palisades,  and  otherwise  to  put  themselves  in  the  best  possible  posture  of 
defense. 

The  more  experienced  of  the  garrison  felt  satisfied  that  a  powerful  party 
was  in  ambuscade  near  the  spring,  but  at  the  same  time,  they  supposed  that 
the  Indians  would  not  unmask  themselves  until  the  firing  upon  the  opposite 
side  of  the  fort  was  returned  with  such  warmth  as  to  induce  the  belief  that  the 
feint  had  succeeded.  Acting  upon  this  impression,  and  yielding  to  the  urgent 
necessity  of  the  case,  they  summoned  all  the  women  without  exception,  and 
explaining  to  them  the  circumstances  in  which  they  were  placed,  and  the  im- 
probability that  any  injury  would  be  offered  them  until  the  firing  had  been 
returned  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  fort,  they  urged  them  to  go  in  a  body 
to  the  spring  and  each  to  bring  up  a  bucket  full  of  water.  Some  of  the  ladies 
had  no  relish  for  the  undertaking,  and  asked  why  the  men  could  not  bring 
water  as  well  as  themselves?  observing  that  they  were  not  bullet-proof,  and 
that  the  Indians  made  no  distinction  between  male  and  female  scalps.  To 
this  it  T,vas  answered,  that  the  women  were  in  the  habit  of  bringing  water 
every  morning  to  the  fort,  and  that  if  the  Indians  saw  them  engaged  as  usual, 
it  would  induce  them  to  believe  that  their  ambuscade  was  undiscovered,  and 
that  they  would  not  unmask  themselves  for  the  sake  of  firing  upon  a  few 
women,  when  they  hoped,  by  remaining  concealed  a  few  moments  longer,  to 
obtain  complete  possession  of  the  fort.  That  if  men  should  go  down  to  the 
spring  the  Indians  would  immediately  suspect  that  something  was  wrong, 
would  despair  of  succeeding  by  ambuscade,  and  would  instantly  rush  upon 
them,  follow  them  into  the  fort,  or  shoot  them  down  at  the  spring.  The  de- 
cision was  soon  over.  A  few  of  the  boldest  declared  their  readiness  to  bravo 
the  danger,  and  the  younger  and  more  timid  rallying  in  the  rear  of  these  vete 
rang,  they  all  marched  down  in  a  body  to  the  spring,  within  point  blank  shot 
of  five  hundred  Indian  warriors!  Some  of  the  girls  could  not  help  betraying 
symptoms  of  terror,  but  the  married  women,  in  general,  moved  with  a  steadi- 
ness and  composure  which  completely  deceived  the  Indians.  Not  a  shot  was 
fired.  The  party  were  permitted  to  fill  their  buckets  one  after  another,  with- 
out interruption,  and  although  their  steps  became  quicker  and  quicker  on  their 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  117 

return,  and  when  near  the  fort  degenerated  into  a  rather  unmilitary  celerity, 
attended  with  some  little  crowding  at  the  gate,  yet  not  more  than  one-fifth  of 
the  water  was  spilled. 

When  an  ample  supply  of  water  had  been  thus  obtained,  and  the  neglected 
defenses  completed,  a  party  of  thirteen  men  sallied  out  in  the  direction  in 
ivh'u'h  the  assault  had  been  made. — They  were  fired  on  by  the  savages,  and 
driven  again  within  the  palisades,  but  without  sustaining  any  loss  of  life. 
Immediately  the  five  hundred  on  the  opposite  side  rushed  to  the  assault  of  what 
they  deemed  the  unprotected  side  of  the  fort,  without  entertaining  any  doubts 
of  their  success.  A  well  directed  fire,  however,  put  them  promptly  to  flight. 
Some  of  the  more  daring  and  desperate  approached  near  enough  with  burning 
arrows  to  fire  the  houses,  one  or  two  of  which  were  burned,  but  a  favorable 
wind  drove  the  flames  away  from  the  mass  of  the  buildings,  and  the  station 
escaped  the  danger  threatened  from  this  source.  A  second  assault  from  the 
great  body  of  the  Indians,  was  repelled  with  the  same  vigor  and  success  with 
the  first. 

Disappointed  of  their  object  thus  far,  the  assailants  retreated,  and  Concealed 
themselves  under  the  bank  of  the  creek  to  await  and  intercept  the  arrival  of  the 
assistance  which  they  were  well  aware  was  on  its  way  from  Lexington.  The 
express  from  Bryant's  station  reached  that  town  without  difficulty,  but  found 
its  male  inhabitants  had  left  there,  to  aid  in  the  defense  of  Holder's  station, 
which  was.  reported  to  be  attacked.  Following  their  route,  he  overtook  them 
at  Boonesborough,  and  sixteen  mounted  men,  with  thirty  on  foot,  immediately 
retraced  their  steps  for  the  relief  of  the  besieged  at  Bryant's.  When  this 
reinforcement  approached  the  fort,  the  firing  had  entirely  ceased,  no  enemy 
was  visible,  and  the  party  advanced  in  reckless  confidence,  that  it  was  either 
a  false  alarm,  or  tint  the  Indians  had  abandoned  the  siege.  Their  avenue  to 
the  garrison  was  a  lane  between  two  cornfields,  which  growing  rank  and  thick 
formed  an  effectual  hiding-place  to  the  Indians  even  at  the  distance  of  a  few 
yards.  The  line  of  ambush  extended  on  both  sides  nearly  six  hundred' yards. 
Providentially  it  was  in  the  heat  of  midsummer,  and  dry  accordingly,  and  the 
approach  of  the  horsemen  raised  a  cloud  of  dust  so  thick  as  to  compel  the 
enemy  to  fire  at  random,  and  the  whites  happily  escaped  without  losing  a  man. 
The  footmen,  on  hearing  the  firing  in  front,  dispersed  amidst  the  corn,  in  hopes 
of  reaching  the  garrison  unobserved.  Here  they  were  intercepted  by  the  sa- 
vages, who  threw  themselves  between  them  and  the  fort,  and  but  for  the  luxu- 
riant growth  of  corn  they  must  all  have  been  shot  down.  As  it  was,  two 
men  were  killed  and  four  wounded  of  the  party  on  foot,  before  it  succeeded 
in  making  its  way  into  the  fort. 

Thus  reinforced,  the  garrison  felt  assured  of  safety,  while  in  the  same 
measure  the  assailing  party  began  to  despair  of  success. 

One  expedient  remained,  which  was  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  ^  intimi- 
dating the  brave  spirits  who  were  gathered  for  the  defense  of  their  wives  and 
little  ones.  As  the  shades  of  evening  approached,  Girty,  who  commanded  the 
part}-,  addressed  the  inmates  of  the  fort.  Mounting  a  stump  from  which  he 
could  be  distinctly  heanj,  with  a  demand  for  the  surrender  of  the  place,  he 
assured  the  garrison  thlca  reinforcement  with  cannon  would  arrive  that  night, 
that  the  station  must  fall,  that  he  could  assure  them  of  protection  if  they  sur- 
rendered, but  could  not  restrain  the  Indians  if  they  carried  the  fort  by  storm  ;. 
adding,  he  supposed  they  knew  who  it  was  that  thus  addressed  them.  A 
young  man,  named  Reynolds,  fearing  the  effect  which  the  threat  of  cannon 
might  have  on  the  minds  of  the  defending  party,  with  the  fate  of  Martin's  and 
Ruddle's  stations  fresh  in  their  memories,  left  no  opportunity  for  conference,  by 
replying  instantly,  that  he  knew  him  well,  and  held  him  in  such  contempt  that 
15 


.HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

he  had  called  a  good  for  nothing  dog  he  had  by  the  name  of  Simon  Girty 
"Know  you !"  added  he,  "we  all  know  you,  for  a  renegade  cowardly  villain, 
that  delights  in  murdering  women  and  children?  Wait  until  morning,  and 
you  will  find  on  what  side  the  reinforcements  are.  We  expect  to  leave  not 
one  of  your  cowardly  souls  alive,  and  if  you  are  caught  our  women  shall  whip 
you  to  death  with  hickory  switches.  Clear  out,  you  cut-throat  villain."  Some 

of  the  Kentuckians  shouted  out,  "  Shoot  the  d d  rascal !"  and  Girty  was 

glad  to  retreat  out  of  the  range  of  their  rifles  lest  some  one  of  the  garrison 
might  be  tempted  to  adopt  the  advice. 

The  night  passed  away  in  uninterrupted  tranquillity,  and  at  daylight  in  the 
morning  the  Indian  camp  was  found  deserted.  Fires  were  still  burning 
brightly,  and  several  pieces  of  meat  were  left  upon  their  roasting  sticks,  from 
which  it  was  inferred  that  they  had  retreated  just  before  daybreak. 

Battle  of  the  Blue  Licks. — Early  in  the  day  reinforcements  began  to  drop 
in,  and  by  noon  167  men  were  assembled  at  Bryant's  station,  among  whom 
were  Cols.  Boone,  Todd,  and  Trigg;  and  Majors  Harland,  McBride,  M'Gary, 
and  Levy  Todd;  and  Captains  Bulzer  and  Gordon;  of  the  last  six  named,  ex- 
cept Todd  and  M'Gary,  all  fell  in  the  subsequent  battle.  A  tumultuous  conver- 
sation ensued,  and  it  was  unanimously  resolved  to  pursue  the  enemy  forth- 
with, notwithstanding  that  they  were  three  to  one  in  numbers.  The  Indians, 
contrary  to  the'ir  usual  custom,  left  a  broad  and  obvious  trail,  and  manifested 
a  willingness  to  be  pursued.  Notwithstanding,  such  was  the  impetuosity 
of  the  Kentuckians  that  they  overlooked  these  considerations,  and  hastened  on 
with  fatal  resolution,  most  of  them  being  mounted. 

The  next  day  about  noon  they  came,  for  the  first  time,  in  view  of  the 
enemy  at  the  Lower  Blue  Licks.  A  number  of  Indians  were  seen  ascending 
the  rocky  ridge  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Licking.  They  halted  upon  the 
appearance  of  the  Kentuckians,  gazed  at  them  a  few  moments,  and  then 
calmly  and  leisurely  disappeared  over  the  top  of  the  hill.  An  immediate  halt 
ensued.  A  dozen  or  twenty  officers  met  in  front  of  the  ranks,  and  entered  into 
consultation.  The  wild  and  lonely  aspect  of  the  country  around  them,  their 
distance  from  any  point  of  support,  with  the  certainty  of  their  being  in  the 
presence  of  a  superior  enemy,  seems  to  have  inspired  a  portion  of  seriousness, 
bordering  upon  awe.  All  eyes  were  now  turned  upon  Boone,  and  Col.  Todd 
asked  his  opinion  as  to  what  should  be  done.  The  veteran  woodsman,  with 
his  usual  unmoved  gravity,  replied: 

That  their  situation  was  critical  and  delicate ;  that  the  force  opposed  to 
them  was  undoubtedly  numerous  and  ready  for  battle,  as  might  readily  be  seen 
from  the  leisurely  retreat  of  the  few  Indians  who  had  appeared  on  the  crest 
of  the  hill ;  that  he  was  well  acquainted  with  the  ground  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  Lick,  and  was  apprehensive  that  an  ambuscade  was  formed  at  the 
distance  of  a  mile  in  advance,  where  two  ravines,  one  upon  each  side  of  the 
ridge,  ran  in  such  a  manner  that  a  concealed  enemy  might  assail  them  at  once 
both  in  front  and  flank,  before  they  were  apprised  of  the  danger. 

It  would  be  proper,  therefore,  to  do  one  of  two  things.  Either  to  await 
the  arrival  of  Logan,  who  was  now  undoubtedly  on  his  march  to  join  them, 
with  a  strong  force  from  Lincoln,  or  if  it  was  determined  to  attack  without 
delay,  that  one  half  of  their  number  should  march  up  the  river,  which  there 
bends  in  an  elliptical  form,  cross  at  the  rapids  and  tall  upon  the  rear  of  the 
enemy,  while  the  other  division  attacked  in  front.  At  any  rate,  he  strongly 
urged  the  necessity  of  reconnoitering  the  ground  carefully  before  the  main 
body  crossed  the  river. 

Boone  was  heard  in  silence  and  with  deep  attention.  Some  wished  to 
adopt  the  first  plan;  others  preferred  the  second;  and  the  discussion  threat- 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC. 

ened  to  be  drawn  out  to  some  length,  when  the  boiling  ardor  of  M'Gary, 
who  could  never  endure  the  presence  of  an  enemy  without  instant  battle, 
stimulated  him  to  an  act,  which  had  nearly  proved  destructive  to  his  country. 
He  suddenly  interrupted  the  consultation  with  a  loud  whoop,  resembling  the 
war-cry  of  the  Indians,  spurred  his  horse  into  the  stream,  waved  his  hat  over 
his  head,  and  shouted  aloud :  "  Let  all  who  are  not  cowards  follow  me !" 
The  words  and  the  action  together,  produced  an  electrical  effect.  The 
mounted  men  dashed  tumultuously  into  the  river,  each  striving  to  be  fore- 
most. The  footmen  were  mingled  with  them  in  one  rolling  and  irregular 
mass. 

No  order  was  given,  and  none  observed.  They  struggled  through  a  deep 
ford  as  well  as  they  could,  M'Gary  still  leading  the  van,  closely  followed  by 
Majors  Harland  and  McBride.  With  the  same  rapidity  they  ascended  the 
ridge,  which,  by  the  trampling  of  Buffalo  foragers,  had  been  stripped  bare  of 
all  vegetation,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  dwarfish  cedars,  and  which  was 
rendered  still  more  desolate  in  appearance,  by  the  multitude  of  rocks,  black- 
ened by  the  sun,  which  was  spread  over  its  surface. 

Suddenly  the  van  halted.  They  had  reached  the  spot  mentioned  by  Boone, 
where  the  two  ravines  head,  on  each  side  of  the  ridge.  Here  a  body  of  In- 
dians presented  themselves,  and  attacked  the  van.  M' Gary's  party  instantly 
returned  the  fire,  but  under  great  disadvantage.  They  were  upon  a  bare  and 
open  ridge ;  the  Indians  in  a  bushy  ravine.  The  center  and  rear,  ignorant  of 
the  ground,  hurried  up  to  the  assistance  of  the  van,  but  were  soon  stopped  by 
a  terrible  fire  from  the  ravine,  which  flanked  them.  They  found  themselves 
enclosed  as  if  in  the  wings  of  a  net,  destitute  of  proper  shelter,  while  the  enemy 
were,  in  a  great  measure,  covered  from  their  fire.  Still,  however,  they  main- 
tained their  ground.  The  action  became  warm  and  bloody.  The  parties 
gradually  closed,  the  Indians  emerged  from  the  ravine,  and  the  fire  became 
mutually  destructive.  The  officers  suffered  dreadfully.  Todd  and  Trigg,  in 
the  rear  j  Harland,  McBride,  and  young  Boone,  in  front,  were  already  killed. 

The  Indians  gradually  extended  their  line,  to  turn  the  right  of  the  Ken- 
tuckians,  and  cut  off  their  retreat.  This  was  quickly  perceived  by  the  weight 
of  the  fire  from  that  quarter,  and  the  rear  instantly  fell  back  in  disorder,  and 
attempted  to  rush  through  their  only  opening  to  the  river.  The  motion 
quickly  communicated  itself  to  the  van,  and  a  hurried  retreat  became  general. 
The  Indians  instantly  sprung  forward  in  pursuit,  and  falling  upon  them  with 
their  tomahawks,  made  a  cruel  slaughter.  From  the  battle-ground  to  the 
river,  the  spectacle  was  terrible.  The  horsemen  generally  escaped,  but  the 
foot,  particularly  the  van,  which  had  advanced  farthest  within  the  wings  of 
the  net,  were  almost  totally  destroyed.  Col.  Boone,  after  witnessing  the  death 
of  his  son  and  many  of  his  dearest  friends,  found  himself  almost  entirely  sur- 
rounded at  the  very  commencement  of  the  retreat. 

Several  hundred  Indians  were  between  him  and  the  ford,  to  which  the 
great  mass  of  the  fugitives  were  bending  their  flight,  and  to  which  the  atten- 
tion of  the  savages  was  principally  directed.  Being  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  ground,  he,  together  with  a  few  friends,  dashed  into  the  ravine  which 
the  Indians  had  occupied,  but  which  most  of  them  had  now  left  to  join  in  the 
pursuit.  After  sustaining  one  or  two  heavy  fires,  and  baffling  one  or  two  small 
parties,  who  pursued  him  for  a  short  distance,  he  crossed  the  river  below  the 
ford,  by  swimming,  and  entering  the  wood  at  a  point  where  there  was  no  pur- 
suit, returned  by  a  circuitous  route  to  Bryant's  station.  In  the  meantime,  the 
great  mass  of  the  victors  and  vanquished  crowded  the  bank  of  the  ford. 

The  slaughter  was  great  in  the  river.  The  ford  was  crowded  with  horse- 
men and  foot  and  Indians,  all  mingled  together.  Some  were  compelled  to 


120  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

seek  a  passage  above  by  swimming;  some,  who  could  not  swim,  were  ovei 
taken  and  killed  at  the  edge  of  the  water.     A  man  by  the  name  of  Nether 
land,  who  had  formerly  been  strongly  suspected  of  cowardice,  here  displayed 
a  coolness  and  presence  of  mind,  equally  noble  and  unexpected. 

Being  among  the  first  in  gaining  the  opposite  bank,  he  then  instantly 
checked  his  horse,  and  in  a  loud  voice,  called  upon  his  companions  to  halt, 
fire  upon  the  Indians,  and  save  those  who  were  still  in  the  stream.  The 
party  instantly  obeyed;  and  facing  about,  poured  a  close  and  fatal  discharge 
of  rifles  upon  the  foremost  of  the  pursuers.  The  enemy  instantly  fell  back 
from  the  opposite  bank,  and  gave  time  for  the  harassed  and  miserable  foot- 
men to  cross  in  safety.  The  check,  however,  was  but  momentary.  Indians 
were  seen  crossing  in  great  numbers  above  and  below,  and  the  flight  again 
became  general.  Most  of  the  foot  left  the  great  buffalo  track,  and  plunging 
into  the  thickets,  escaped  by  a  circuitous  route  to  Bryant's  station. 

But  little  loss  was  sustained  after  crossing  the  river,  although  the  pursuit 
was  urged  keenly  for  twenty  miles.  From  the  battle-ground  to  the  ford,  the 
loss  was  very  heavy;  and  at  that  stage  of  the  retreat,  there  occurred  a  rare  and 
striking  instance  of  magnanimity,  which  it  would  be  criminal  to  omit.  The 
reader  could  not  have  forgotten  young  Reynolds,  who  replied  with  such  rough 
but  ready  humor  to  the  pompous  summons  of  Girty,  at  the  siege  of  Bryant's. 
This  young  man,  after  bearing  his  share  in  the  action  with  distinguished  gal- 
lantry, was  galloping  with  several  other  horsemen  in  order  to  reach  the  ford. 
The  great  body  of  fugitives  had  preceded  them,  and  their  situation  was  in  the 
highest  degree  critical  and  dangerous. 

About  half  way  between  the  battle-ground  and  the  river,  %the  party  overtook 
Capt.  Patterson,  on  foot,  exhausted  by  the  rapidity  of  the  flight,  and  in  con- 
sequence of  former  wounds  received  from  the  Indians,  so  infirm  as  to  be  unable 
to  keep  up  with  the  n^ain  body  of  the  men  on  foot.  The  Indians  were  close 
behind  him,  and  his  fate  seemed  inevitable.  Reynolds,  upon  coming  up  with 
this  brave  officer,  instantly  sprung  from  his  horse,  aided  Patterson  to  mount 
into  the  saddle,  and  continued  his  own  flight  on  foot.  Being  remarkably  ac- 
tive and  vigorous,  he  contrived  to  elude  his  pursuers,  and  turning  off*  from  the 
main  road,  plunged  into  the  river  near  the  spot  where  Boone-  had  crossed,  and 
swam  in  safety  to  the  opposite  side.  Unfortunately,  he  wore  a  pair  of  buck- 
skin breeches,  which  had  become  so  heavy  and  full  of  water  as  to  prevent  his 
exerting  himself  with  his  usual  activity,  and  while  sitting  down  for  the  pur- 
pose  of  pulling  them  off,  he  was  overtaken  by  a  party  of  Indians,  and  made 
prisoner. 

A  prisoner  is  rarely  put  to  death  by  the  Indians,  unless  wounded  or  infirm, 
until  they  return  to  their  own  country ;  and  then  his  fate  is  decided  in  solemn 
council.  Young  Reynolds,  therefore,  was  treated  kindly,  and  compelled  to 
accompany  his  captors  in  the  pursuit.  A  small  party  of  Kentuckians  soon 
attracted  their  attention;  and  he  was  left  in  charge  of  three  Indians,  who, 
eager  in  pursuit,  in  turn  committed  him  to  the  charge  of  one  of  their  number, 
while  they  followed  their  companions.  Reynolds  and  his  cjuard  jogged  alon» 
very  leisurely ;  the  former  totally  unarmed ;  the  latter,  with  a  tomahawk  and 
rifle  in  his  hands.  At  length  the  Indian  stopped  to  tie  his  moccasin,  when 
Reynolds  instantly  sprung  upon  him,  knocked  him  down  with  his  fist,  and 
quickly  disappeared  in  the  thicket  which  surrounded  them.  For  this  act  of 
generosity,  Capt.  Patterson  afterward  made  him  a  present  of  two  hundred 
acres  of  first-rate  land. 

The  melancholy  intelligence  rapidly  spread  throughout  the  country,  and  the 
whole  land  was  covered  with  mourning,  for  it  was  the  severest  loss  that  Ken- 
tucky had  ever  experienced  in  Indian  warfare.  Sixty  Kentuckians  were  slain 


THE   NATURAL   TUNNEL. 

"  To  give  an  adequate  idea  of  this  remarkable  curiosity,  the  reader  has  but 
to  imagine  a  creek  passing  through  a  deep,  narrow  rock-bound  valley,  encoun- 
tering, in  its  course,  a  mountain  of  some  800  feet  m  neight,  and  winding  through 
it  by  a  huge  subterranean  cavern  " 


121 


.  FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  123 

and  a  number  taken  prisoners.  The  loss  of  the  Indians,  while  the  battle  lasted, 
was  also  considerable,  though  far  inferior  to  that  of  the  whites. 

On  the  very  day  of  the  battle,  Col.  Logan  arrived  at  Bryant's  station  with 
four  hundred  and  fifty  men.  Fearful  of  some  disaster,  he  marched  on  with 
the  utmost  diligence,  and  soon  met  the  foremost  of  the  fugitives.  Learning 
from  them  the  sad  tidings,  he  continued  on,  hoping  to  come  up  with  the  enemy 
at  the  field  of  battle,  which  he  reached  on  the  second  day.  The  enemy  were 
gone,  but  the  bodies  of  the  Kentuckians  still  lay  unburied  on  the  spot  where 
they  had  fallen.  Immense  flocks  of  buzzards  were  soaring  over  the  battle- 
ground, and  the  bodies  of  the  dead  had  become  so  much  swollen  and  dis- 
figured, that  it  was  impossible  to  recognize  the  features  of  the  most  particular 
friends.  Many  corpses  were  floating  near  the  shore  of  the  northern  bank, 
already  putrid  from  the  action  of  the  sun,  and  partially  eaten  by  fishes.  The 
whole  were  carefully  collected  by  Col.  Logan,,  and  interred  as  decently  as  the 
nature  of  the  soil  would  permit. 

As  soon  as  intelligence  of  this  disastrous  battle  reached  Col.  George  Rogers 
Clark,  who  then  resided  at  Louisville,  he  set  on  foot  an  expedition  against  the 
Shawanese.  In  the  latter  part  of  September,  1 000  Kentuckians  rendezvoused 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Licking,  and  marching  northward  a  distance  of  near  one 
hundred  miles,  destroyed  the  Indian  towns  near  the  site  of  Piqua,  Ohio. 
From  that  time  forward,  the  Indians  never  again,  as  a  body,  invaded  the 
country  south  of  the  Ohio,  and  a  few  months  later  hostilities  ceased  between 
the  United  States  and  Britain. 


THE  NATURAL  TUNNEL 

THE  Natural  Tunnel  is  in  Scott  county,  in  Southwestern  Virginia,  near  the 
Tennessee  line,  and  being  in  a  wild,  unfrequented  part  of  the  country,  is  com- 
paratively unknown.  To  give  an  adequate  idea  of  this  remarkable  curiosity 
of  nature, 'the  reader  has  but  to  imagine  a  creek  passing  through  a  deep,  nar- 
row rock-bound  valley,  encountering  in  its  course  a  mountain  of  some  three 
hundred  feet  in  height,  and  winding  through  it  by  a  huge,  subterraneous  ca- 
vern, the  roof  or'  which  rises,  in  places,  to  an  altitude  of  from  seventy  to 
eighty  feet.  (See  Engraving,  pige  130.) 

The  width  of  the  tunnel  is  about  one  hundred  feet,  and  its  course  curving, 
like  the  letter  S.  Its  extent  is  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  in  which 
distance  the  stream  falls  about  ten  feet,  emitting  in  its  passage  over  a  rocky 
bed  an  agreeable  murmur,  which  is  rendered  more  grateful  by  its  echoes  upon 
the  roof  and  sides  of  the  grotto.  The  discharge  of  a  musket  produces  a  crash- 
like  report,  succeeded  by  a  roar  which  has  a  deafening  effect  upon  the  ear. 
The  mountain  in  which  is  this  singular  passnge,  leads  from  east  to  west,  across 
the  line  of  the  creek,  and  has  a  stage-road  on  its  summit. 

The  upper  entrance  to  the  tunnel  is  imposing  and  picturesque;  but  on  the 
lower  side  the  scene  is  sublime.  There  the  valley,  for  some  distance,  is  a 
deep  narrow  gorge,  bounded  on  each  side  by  a  perpendicular,  and  in  places, 
overhanging  wall  of  rock,  of  more  than  three  hundred  feet  in  elevation;  and 
by  which  the  entrance  on  that  side  is  almost  environed  by  an  amphitheater  of 
rude  and  frightful  precipices. 

About  two-thirds  up  the  precipice,  on  the  right  side  of  the  gorge  below  the 
lower  mouth  of  the  tunnel,  the  eye  catches  a  slight  cave-like  fissure.  Many 
years  since,  an  adventurous  person,  named  Dotson,  determined  to  explore  it. 
He  was  accordingly  lowered  from  the  top,  by  a  rope  running  over  a  log,  and 
neld  at  the  upper  end  by  several  of  his  neighbors.  The  rope  not  being  suf- 


124  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

ficiently  long,  the  last  length,  which  was  tied  around  his  waist,  was  made  of 
the  bark  of  leatherwood.  When  down  to  the  required  level,  he  was  still  ho- 
rizontally distant  twelve  or  fourteen  feet,  being  so  thrown  by  the  overhanging 
of  the  rock  above. 

With  a  long  pole,  to  which  was  attached  a  hook,  he  attempted  to  pull  him- 
self  to  the  fissure,  and  had  nearly  succeeded,  when  the  hook  slipped,  and  he 
swung  out  toward  the  center  of  the  gorge,  pendulum-like,  on  a  rope  of  over 
a  hundred  feet  in  length.  Returning  on  his  fearful  vibration,  he  but  managed 
to  ward  himself  oft*  with  his  pole  from  being  dashed  against  the  rock,  when 
away  he  swung  again. 

One  of  his  companions,  stationed  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  ravine  to  give 
directions,  instinctively  drew  back,  for  it  appeared  as  if  he  was  slung  at  him 
across  the  abyss.  At  length  the  vibrations  ceased,  when  Dotson  heard  & 
cracking  sound  just  above  his  head ;  he  hastily  glanced  up,  and  oh  horror !  ht 
saw  the  strands  of  the  bark  rope  breaking.  Grasping  with  both  hands  im- 
mediately above  the  spot,  he  cried  out  hastily,  "Pull!  for sake  pull!' 

On  reaching  the  top  he  fainted.  Subsequently  the  bark  rope  was  replaced  by 
one  of  hemp,  and  he  again  descended  and  explored  the  cave.  His  only  re- 
ward was  the  gratification  of  his  curiosity.  The  hole  extended  but  a  few 
feet. 


THE  HARD  WINTER  OF  1780. 

THE  winter  of  1779  '80,  was  a  marked  era  in  the  history  of  the  West.  It 
proved  to  be  uncommonly  severe,  insomuch  that  it  was  distinguished  as  the 
Hard  Winter.  The  rivers,  creeks,  -and  branches,  were  covered  with  ice  of 
great  thickness,  where  the  water  was  sufficient;  while  the  latter  were  gene- 
rally converted  into  solid  crystal.  The  snow,  by  repeated  falls,  increased 
to  an  unusual  depth,  and  continued  for  an  extraordinary  length  of  time :  so 
that  men,  and  beasts,  could  with  much  difficulty  travel ;  and  suffered  greatly 
in  obtaining  food,  or  died  of  want  and  the  cold,  combined. 

Many  families  traveling  to  Kentucky,  in  this  season,  were  overtaken  in  the 
wilderness,  and  their  progress  arrested  by  the  severity  of  the  weather.  Com- 
pelled to  encamp  and  abide  the  storm,  the  pains  of  both  hunger  and  frost 
were  inflicted  on  them,  in  many  instances,  in  a  most  excruciating  degree.  For 
when  their  traveling  stock  of  provisions  was  exhausted,  as  was  soon  the 
case  with  many,  and  some  of  these  without  a  hunter  or  live  stock;  they  were 
left  without  resource,  but  in  begging  at  other  camps.  And  even  where  there 
were  hunters,  they  found  it  extremely  difficult  to  traverse  the  hills  for  game, 
or  to  find  it  when  sought ;  while  in  a  short  time,  the  poor  beasts,  oppressed 
by  cold  and  want  of  food,  soon  became  lean,  and  even  unlit  for  use,  or  un- 
wholesome, if  eaten.  Such  also  became  the  case  with  the  tame  cattle  of  the 
emigrants — many  of  them  died  for  want  of  nourishment,  or  were  drowned  by 
floods,  as  they  happened  to  be  on  the  hills  where  there  was  no  cane,  or  on 
the  bottoms  which  overflowed,  on  the  breaking  up  of  the  ice.  And  it  is  a 
fact,  that  part  of  those  dead  carcasses  became  the  sole  food  of  some  of  the 
unfortunate  and  helpless  travelers.  Their  arrival  in  Kentucky,  when  effected, 
offered  them  a  supply  of  wholesome  meat,  but  corn  was  scarce,  and  bread,  at 
first  obtained  with  difficulty,  soon  disappeared,  and  could  not  be  procured. 

The  very  great  number  who  had  moved  into  the  country,  from  the  interior, 
in  the  year  1779,  compared  with  the  crop  of  that  year,  had  nearly  exhausted 
all  that  kind  of  supply  before  the  end  ot  the  winter,  and  long  before  the  next 
crop  was  even  in  tne  roasting-ear  state,  in  which  it  was  eaten  as  a  substitute 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  125 

for  bread,  there  being  of  that  article  none  to  be  had,  until  the  new  crop  be- 
came hard.  And  while  the  corn  was  growing  to  maturity,  for  use,  wild  meat, 
the  game  of  the  forest,  was  the  only  solid  food  of  the  multitude;  and  this, 
without  bread,  with  milk  and  butter,  was  the  daily  diet  of  men,  women  and 
children,  for  some  months.  Delicate  or  robust,  well  or  ill,  rich  or  poor, 
black  or  white,  one  common  fare  supplied,  and  the  same  common  fate  attended 
all.  The  advance  of  the  vernal  season  brought  out  the  Indians,  as  usual;  and 
danger  of  life  and  limb,  was  added,  to.  whatever  else  was  disagreeable,  or  em- 
barrassing in  the  condition  of  the  people*. 


DANIEL  BOONE,  THE  PIONEER  OF  KENTUCKY. 

THE  celebrated  Daniel  Boone  was  born  in  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania,  in 
February,  1735 — three  years  after  the  birth  of  Washington.  When  Daniel 
was  a  small  boy,  his  family  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Reading,  in  Berks 
County.  This  was  then  on  the  frontiers,  and  it  was  here  that  he  received 
those  impressions  of  character  that  were  so  strikingly  displayed  in  his  subse- 
quent life.  From  childhood,  he  delighted  to  range  the  woods,  watch  the 
wild  animals,  and  contemplate  the  beauties  of  nature.  He  early  showed  a 
passion  for  hunting.  No  Indian  co.uld  aim  his  rifle,  find  his  way  through  the 
pathless  forest,  or  search  out  the  retreat  of  game,  more  readily  than  Boone. 
When  he  was  about  eighteen  years  old,  his  family  made  a  second  removal  to 
the  Yadkin,  a  mountain  stream  in  the  northwestern  part  of  North  Carolina. 
There,  he  married  and  followed  the  joint  occupation  of  farmer  and  hunter. 
Accustomed,  when  hunting,  to  be  much  alone,  he  acquired  the  habit  of  con- 
templation and  of  self-possession.  His  mind  was  not  of  the  most  ardent 
nature;  nor  does  he  ever  seem  to  have  sought  knowledge  through  the  medium 
of  books. 

It  was  on  the  1st  of  May,  1769,  that  Boone,  then  the  father  of  a  family, 
made  a  temporary  resignation  of  his  domestic  happiness,  to  wander  through 
the  rough  and  savage  wilderness,  bordering  on  the  Cumberland  mountain,  in 
quest  of  the  far-famed,  but  little  known,  country  of  Kentucky.  In  this  tour 
he  was  accompanied  by  John  Finley,  John  Stewart,  Joseph  Holden,  William 
Coole,  and  James  Monay.  On  the  7th  of  June  following,  after  a  journey  of 
five  hundred  miles,  and  nearly  the  half  of  it  destitute  of  a  path,  they  arrived 
on  Red  River,  where  Finley  had  formerly  been,  as  an  Indian  trader.  Here 
the  party  determined  to  take  repose  after  their  fatigue;  and  made  themselves  a 
shelter  of  bark,  to  cover  their  heads  from  the  showers  of  the  day,  and  the  cold 
dews  of  night.  It  was  in  an  excursion  from  this  camp,  that  Daniel  Boone 
first  saw,  with  wonder,  the  beauties,  and  inhaled  with  delight,  the  odors  of  a 
Kentucky  summer,  on  the  plains  of  Licking,  Elkhorn,  &c.  It  was  also  in 
one  of  his  peregrinations  from  a  second  camp,  that  Boone  and  Stewart,  rising 
me  top  of  a  hill,  encountered  a  band  of  savages.  They  made  prisoners  ot 
both,  and  plundered  them  of  what  supplies  they  had.  Seven  days  were  they 
detained,  compelled  to  march  by  day,  and  closely  watched  by  night;  when,  as 
a  consequence  of  their  well  dissembled  contentment,  the  Indians  resigned  them- 
selves to  sleep,  without  a  guard  on  their  captives,  and  they  made  their  escape. 
Boone  and  his  companion,  once  more  at  large,  returned  to  their  former  camp, 
wrach  had  been  plundered,  and  was  deserted  by  the  rest  of  the  company,  who, 
aiarmed  by  the  appearance  of  the  enemy,  had  fled  home,  to  North  Carolina. 
About  this  time,  Squire  Boone,  the  brother  of  Daniel,  following  from  Carolina, 
came  up  with  him,  and  furnished  a  few  necessaries;  especially  some  powder 
and  lead,  indispensable  to  their  existence. 


126  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARK  ABLE  ADVENTURES, 

Soon  after  this  period,  John  Stewart  was  killed  by  the  Indians, and  t^etwo 
Boones  remained  the  only  white  men  in  the  forests  of  Kentucky.  They  con- 
tinued, during  the  succeeding  winter,  the  only  tenants  of  a  cabin,  which  they, 
with  tomahawks,  erected  of  poles  and  bark,  to  shelter  themselves  from  the  in- 
clemency of  the  season. 

The  death  of  John  Stewart  being  the  first  perpetrated  by  the  Indians  on  the 
white  adventurers  in  Kentucky,  deserves  to  be  particularly  commemorated. 
Upon  this  subject,  a  few  facts  only  have  been  preserved  by  tradition.  It  was 
in  1769,  after  Squire  Boone  had  joined  his  brother  and  Stewart,  who  had  re- 
cently been  prisoners  with  the  Indians,  that  the  Indians  becoming  more  hos- 
tile, had  recourse  to  death  instead  of  bondage,  as  the  surer  method  of  getting 
rid  of  their  new  rivals  in  the  art  of  hunting.  As  Boone  and  his  companions 
were  traversing  the  forest,  just  disrobed  of  its  foliage,  they  were  suddenly  met 
on  the  side  of  a  cane-brake,  and  immediately  fired  on  by  a  superior  party  of 
Indians.  John  Stewart  received  a  mortal  wound,  and  fell;  while  his  com- 
rades, incapable  of  assisting  him,  immediately  fled.  An  Indian  rushed  upon 
the  fallen  victim,  and  winding  one  hand  in  the  hair  on  the  crown  of  his  head, 
with  a  large  knife  in  the  other  hand,  took  orTthe  scalp,  which  left  bare  his  skull. 

In  May,  1770,  Squire  Boone  returned  to  North  Carolina,  leaving  Daniel 
without  bread  or  salt,  or  even  a  dog  to  keep  his  camp. 

Never  was  a  man  in  greater  need  of  fortitude  to  sustain  his  reflections:  nor 
ever  reflections  more  natural,  or  without  crime,  more  poignant,  than  were 
those  of  Boone.  He  cast  his  eyes  toward  the  residence  of  a  family  always 
dear  to  him — he  felt  the  pang  which  absence  gave — he  heaved  the  sigh  which 
affection  prompted — his  mind  was  beset  with  apprehensions  of  various  dangers 
— despondence  stood  ready  to  seize  on  his  soul;  when,  grasping  his  gun,  and 
turning  from  the  place,  he  reflected  as  he  proceeded,  that  Providence  had 
never  yet  forsaken  him;  nor,  thought  he,  will  I  ever  doubt  its  superintending 
beneficence.  No  man  have  I  injured,  why  should  I  fear  injury  from  any?  I 
shall  again  see  my  family,  for  whom  I  am  now  seeking  a  future  home;  and 
happiness,  the  joy  of  the  meeting,  will  repay  me  for  all  this  pain.  By  this 
time,  he  had  advanced  some  distance  into  the  extended  wood,  and  progressing, 
gained  an  eminence,  whence,  looking  around  with  astonishment,  on  the  one 
hand  he  beheld  the  ample  plain  and  beauteous  fields;  on  the  other,  the  river 
Ohio,  which  rolled  in  silent  dignity,  marking  the  northwestern  boundary  of 
Kentucky,  with  equal  precision  and  grandeur.  The  chirping  of  the  birds, 
solaced  his  cares  with  music;  the  numerous  deer  and  buffalo,  which  passed 
him  in  review,  gave  dumb  assurance  that  he  was  in  the  midst  of  plenty — and 
cheerfulness  once  more  possessed  his  mind. 

Thus,,  in  a  second  paradise,  was  a  second  Adam — if  the  figure  is  not  too 
strong — giving  names  to  springs,  rivers  and  places,  before  unknown  to  civil- 
ized white  men. 

Squire  Boone  returned  in  the  month  of  July,  and  the  brothers  met  at  the 
old  c'mp,  as  it  had  been  concerted  between  them.  The  two,  in  this  year, 
traversed  the  country  to  the  Cumberland  River,  and  in  1771,  returned  to  their 
families,  determined  to  remove  them  to  Kentucky.  But  this  was' not  imme- 
diately practicable. 

About  the  month  of  September,  1773,  Daniel  Boone  sold  his  farm,  on  the 
Yaakin,  bade  farewell  to  his  less  adventurous  neighbors,  and  commenced  his 
removal  to  Kentucky,  with  his  own  and  five  other  families.  In  Powell's 
Valley  he  was  joined  by  forty  men,  willing  to  risk  themselves  under  his 
guidance.  The  party  were  proceeding  in  fine  spirits,  when,  on  the  10th  of 
O<  tober,  the  rear  of  the  company  was  attacked  by  a  strong  ambuscade  ot  In- 
dians, who  killed  six  of  the  men;  and  among  them,  the  eldest  son  of  Bo**e. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  127 

The  Indians  were  -  repulsed,  and  fled;  but  in  the  meantime,  the  cattle  be- 
longing to  the  sojourners  were  dispersed,  the  relatives  of  the  deceased  greatly 
affected,  and  the  survivors,  generally,  so  disheartened  by  present  feelings  and 
future  prospects,  that  it  was  thought  best  to  retreat  to  the  settlement  on  Clinch 
River,  distant  about  forty  miles,  which  was  done  in  good  order,  without 
further  molestation.  This  being  accomplished,  Boone  remained  on  the  fron- 
tier with  his  family,  a  hunter  still,  until  June,  1774.  By  this  time,  he  was 
made  known  to  the  governor  of  Virginia,  and  solicited  by  him,  to  repair  to  the 
rapids  of  the  Ohio,  to  conduct  from  thence  a  party  of  surveyors,  whose  longer 
stay  was  rendered  peculiarly  dangerous  by  the  increasing  hostility  of  the 
northward  Indians. 

This  service  was  undertaken  by  Boone,  who,  with  Michael  Stoner  as  his 
only  companion,  traveled  the  pathless  region  between — reached  the  place  of 
destination  with  great  celerity,  considering  the  difficulty  of  traveling  without 
a  path,  found  the  surveyors,  and  piloted  them  safely  home,  through  the  woods 
— after  an  absence  of  two  months. 

This  year,  there  were  open  hostilities  with  the  Shawanese  and  other  north- 
ward  Indians;  and  Boone  being  still  in  Virginia,  received  an  order  from  Gov- 
ernor Dunmore  to  take  the  command  of  three  contiguous  forts  on  the  frontier, 
with  the  commission  of  captain. 

The  campaign  of  that  year,  after  the  battle  at  Point  Pleasant,  terminated 
in  a  peace.  Captain  Boone  being  now  at  leisure,  and  Colonel  Henderson 
and  company  having  matured  their  project  of  purchasing  from  the  southern 
Indians  the  lands  on  the  south  of  the  Kentucky  River,  he  was  solicited  by 
them  to  attend  the  treaty  to  be  held  for  that  purpose.  Their  messenger  de- 
livering to  him  full  instructions  and  authority  on  the  subject,  Boone  accord- 
ingly attended  at  Watauga,  in  March,  1775;  met  the  Indians,  and  made  the 
purchase.  It  having  been  also  resolved  to  settle  the  purchased  territory, 
Boone  was  looked  to  as  the  most  proper  person  to  conduct  the  enterprise.  A 
way  was  first  to  be  explored  and  opened;  at  the  request  of  the  company,  this 
was  undertaken  and  executed  by  him,  from  Holston  to  the  Kentucky  River. 
The  greater  part  of  the  route  was  extremely  difficult,  being  much  encumbered 
with  hills,  brush,  and  cane,  and  infested  by  hostile  Indians,  who  repeatedly 
fired  on  the  party,  with  such  effect,  that  four  were  killed,  and  five  wounded. 
They  had,  however,  a  determined  leader,  who,  being  well  supported,  con- 
ducted them  to  their  object.  Being  arrived  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  in  April, 
1775,  Boone,  with  the  survivors  of  his  followers,  began  to  erect  a  fort  at  a  salt 
spring  or  lick,  where  Boonesborough  now  stands.  While  building  this  fort, 
which  employed  the  party,  rendered  feeble  by  its  losses,  until  the  ensuing 
June,  one  man  was  killed  by  the  savages,  who  continued  to  harass  them 
during- the  progress  of  the  work.  A  fort,  in  those  days,  consisted  of  a  block- 
house and  contiguous  cabins,  enclosed  with  pickets.  This  being  done,  Boone 
left  a  part  of  his  men  in  the  fort;  with  the  rest,  he  returned  to  Holston. 
Thence  he  proceeded  to  Clinch,  and  soon  after,  moved  his  family  to  the  first 
garrison  in  the  country — as  his  wife  and  daughter  were  the  first  white  women 
ever  known  in  Kentucky. 

Captain  Boone  having  given  to  the  new  population  of  Kentucky  a  perma- 
nent establishment,  and  placed  his  own  family  in  Boonesborough,  felt  all  the  so- 
licitude of  one  in  his  situation,  to  ensure  its  defense  and  promote  its  prosperity. 

He  continued  one  of  the  most  useful  and  active  men  among  the  settlers,  and 
throughout  the  war  with  the  Indians,  was  greatly  distinguished.  In  January, 
1778,  he,  with  twenty-seven  others,  while  making  salt  at  the  Blue  Licks  for 
the  different  stations,  were  taken  prisoners  by  the  Indians. 

They  all  were  kindly  treated  and  conducted  to  Old  Chillicothe,  on  the 


128  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

Pi  ay  Plain,  where  they  remained  until  March.  Boone,  with  ten 
others,  through  the  influence  of  Hamilton,  the  British  governor,  was  taken 
to  Detroit. 

The  governor  took  an  especial  fancy  to  Boone,  and  offered  £100  for  his 
ransom,  but  to  no  purpose,  for  the  Indians  also  had  taken  their  fancy,  and  so 
great  was  it  that  they  took  him  back  to  Old  Chillicothe,  adopted  him  into  a 
family,  and  fondly  caressed  him.  He  mingled  with  their  sports,  shot,  fished, 
hunted  and  swam  with  them,  and  had  become  deeply  ingratiated  in  their 
favor,  when  on  the  1st  of  June,  they  took  him  to  assist  them  in  making  salt 
in  the  Scioto  valley,  at  the  old  salt  wells,  near,  or  at,  we  believe,  the  present 
town  of  Jackson,  Jackson  county.  They  remained  a  few  days,  and  when 
returned  to  Old  Chillicothe,  his  heart  was  agonized  by  the  sight  of  four 
hundred  and  fifty  warriors,  armed,  painted  and  equipped  in  all  the  paraphar- 
nalia  of  savage  splendor,  ready  to  start  on  an  expedition  against  Boonesborough. 
To  avert  the  cruel  blow  that  was  about  to  fall  upon  his  friends,  he  alone,  on 
the  morning  of  the  16th  of  June,  escaped  from  his  Indian  companions,  and 
arrived  in  time  to  foil  the  plans  of  the  enemy,  and  not  only  saved  the  borough, 
which  he  himself  had  founded,  but  probably  all  the  frontier  parts  of  Kentucky, 
from  devastation. 

Some  time  during  Boone's  captivity,  the  Indians  got  out  of  food,  and  after 
having  killed  and  eaten  their  dogs,  were  ten  days  without  any  other  sustenance 
than  that  of  a  decoction  made  from  the  oozings  of  the  inner  bark  of  white 
oak,  while  after  drinking,  all  were  able  to  travel.  At  length,  the  Indians  shot 
a  deer,  and  boiled  its  entrails  to  a  jelly,  of  which  they  all  drank,  and  it  soon 
acted  freely  on  their  bowels.  They  gave  some  to  Boone,  but  his  stomach  re- 
fused it.  After  repeated  efforts,  they  compelled  him  to  swallow  about  half  a 
pint,  which  he  accomplished  with  wry  faces  and  disagreeable  retchings,  much 
to  the  amusement  of  the  simple  savages,  who  laughed  heartily.  After  this 
medicine  had  well  operated,  they  told  Boone  he  might  eat;  but  that  if  he  had 
done  so  before,  it  would  have  killed  him.  All  then  fell  to  and  made  amends 
for  their  long  fast. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  Boone  settled  down  quietly  upon  his  farm.  But 
he  was  not  long  permitted  to  remain  unmolested.  His  title,  owing  to  the  im- 
perfect nature  of  the  land-laws  of  Kentucky,  was  legally  decided  to  be  defec- 
tive, and  Boone  was  deprived  of  all  claim  to  the  soil  which  he  had  explored, 
settled,  and  so  bravely  defended.  In  1795,  disgusted  with  civilized  so- 
ciety, he  sought  a  new  home  in  the  wilds  of  the  far  west,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Missouri,  then  within  the  dominion  of  Spain.  He  was  treated  there  with 
kindness  and  attention,  by  the  public  authorities,  and  he  found  the  simple 
manners  of  that  frontier  people  exactly  suited  to  his  peculiar  habits  and 
temper.  With  them,  he  spent  the  residue  of  his  days,  and  was  gathered  to 
his  fathers,  September  26th,  1820,  in  the  86th  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
buried  in  a  coffin  which  he  had  had  made  for  years,  and  placed  under  his  bed, 
ready  to  receive  him  whenever  he  should  be  called  from  these  earthly  scenes. 
In  the  summer  of  1845,  his  remains  were  removed  to  Frankfort,  Kentucky, 
and  a  monument  erected  by  public  spirited  citizens  of  the  place.  In  person, 
Boone  was  five  feet  ten  inches  in  height,  and  of  robust  and  powerful  propor- 
tions. He  was  ordinarily  attired  as  a  hunter,  wearing  a  hunting  shirt  and 
moccasins.  His  biographer,  who  saw  him  at  his  residence,  on  the  Missouri 
River,  but  a  short  time  before  his  death,  says,  that  on  his  introduction  to  Col. 
Boone,  the  impressions  were  those  of  surprise,  admiration  and  delight.  Tn 
boyhood,  he  had  read  of  Daniel  Boone,  trie  pioneer  of  Kentucky,  the  cele- 
brated hunter  and  Indian  fighter;  and  imagination  had  portrayed  a  rough, 
fierce-looking,  uncouth  specimen  of  humanity,  and  of  course,  at  this  period  of 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  129 

life,  a  fretful  and  unattractive  old  man.  But  in  every  respect  the  reverse 
appeared.  His  high,  bold  forehead  was  slightly  bald,  and  his  silvered  locks 
were  combed  smooth;  his  countenance  was  ruddy  and  fair,  and  exhibited  the 
simplicity  of  a  child.  His  voice  was  soft  and  melodious  ;  a  smile  frequently 
played  over  his  features  in  conversation ;  his  clothing  was  the  coarse,  plain 
manufacture  of  the  family;  but  everything  about  him  denoted  that  kind  of 
comfort  which  was  congenial  to  his  habits  and  feelings,  and  evinced  a  happy 
old  a^e.  His  room  was  part  of  a  range  of  log  cabins,  kept  in  order  by  his 
affectionate  daughter  and  grand-daughters,  and  every  member  of  the  house- 
hold appeared  to  delight  in  administering  to  the  comforts  of  "grandfather 
Boone,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called. 

When  age  had  enfeebled  his  once  athletic  frame,  he  would  make  an  excur- 
sion, twice  a  year,  to  some  remote  hunting-ground,  employing  a  companion, 
whom  he  bound  by  a  writen  contract  to  take  care  of  him ;  and  should  he  die 
in  the  wilderness,  to  bring  his  body  to  the  cemetery  which  he  had  selected  as 
a  final  resting-place. 

Boone  was  a  fair  specimen  of  the  better  class  of  western  pioneers ;  honest, 
kind-hearted,  and  liberal — in  short,  one  of  nature's  noblemen.  He  abhorred 
a  mean  action,  and  delighted  in  honesty  and  truth.  While  he  acknowledged 
that  he  used  guile  with  the  Indians,  he  excused  it  as  necessary  to  counteract 
their  duplicity,  but  despised  in  them  this  trait  of  character.  He  never  de- 
lighted in  shedding  human  blood,  even  of  his  enemies  in  war,  and  avoided  it 
whenever  he  could.  His  most  remarkable  quality  was  an  enduring  and  in- 
vincible fortitude. 


HUNTING  AMONG  THE  EARLY  PIONEERS. 

HUNTING  was  an  important  part  of  the  employment  of  the  first  settlers  of 
the  West.  For  some  years  the  woods  supplied  them  with  the  greater  part 
of  their  subsistence,  and  with  regard  to  some  families,  at  certain  times,  the 
whole  of  it ;  for  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  families  to  live  for  months 
without  a  mouthful  of  bread.  It  frequently  happened  that  there.,  was  no 
breakfast  until  it  was  obtained  from  the  woods.  Fur  and  peltry  were  the 
people's  money.  They  had  nothing  else  to  give  in  exchange  for  rifles,  salt, 
and  iron,  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains. 

The  fall  and  early  part  of  the  year  was  the  season  for  hunting  the  deer,  and 
the  whole  of  the  winter,  including  part  of  the  spring,  for  bears  and  fur-skin- 
ned animals.  It  was  a  customary  saying,  that  fur  was  good  during  every 
month  in  the  name  of  which  the  letter  R  occurs.  As  soon  as  the  leaves  were 
pretty  well  down,  and  the  weather  became  rainy,  accompanied  with  light 
snows,  the  settlers,  after  acting  the  part  of  husbandmen,  so  far  as  the  state  of 
warfare  permitted  them  so  to  do,  soon  began  to  feel  that  they  were  hunters. 
They  became  uneasy  at  home.  Everything  about  them  grew  disagree'able. 
The  house  was  too  warm ;  the  feather-bed  too  soft,  and  even  the  good  wife 
was  not  thought,  for  the  time  being,  a' suitable  companion.  The  mind  of  the 
hunter  was  wholly  occupied  with  the  camp  and  the  chase. 

They  would  often  be  seen  to  get  up  early  in  the  morning  at  this  season, 
walk  out  hastily  and  look  anxiously  to  the  woods,  and  snuff  the  autumnal  winds 
with  the  highest  rapture,  then  return  into  the  house  and  cast  a  quick  and  at- 
tentive look  at  the  rifle,  which  was  always  suspended  to  a  joist  by  a  couple 
of  buckhorns,  or  little  forks.  His  hunting-dog  understanding  the  intentions 
of  his  master,  would  wag  his  tail,  and  by  every  blandishment  in  his  power 
express  his  readiness  to  accompany  him  to  the  woods.  A  day  was  soon  ap- 


13Q  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  A  ^VENTURES, 

pointed  for  the  march  of  the  little  cavalcade  to  the  camp.  Two  or  inree 
horses,  furnished  with  pack-saddles,  were  loaded  with  rlour,  Indian-meal, 
blankets,  and  everything  else  requisite  for  the  use  of  the  hunter. 

A  hunting-camp,  or  what  is  called  a  half-faced  cabin,  was  of  the  following 
form:  the  back  part  of  it  was  sometimes  a  large  log;  at  the  distance  of  eight 
or  ten  feet  from  this,  two  stakes  were  set  in  the  ground,  a  few  inches  apart, 
and  at  the  distance  of  eight  or  ten  feet  from  these,  two  more,  to  receive  the 
ends  of  the  poles  for  the  sides  of  the  camp.  The  whole  slope  of  the  roof 
was  from  the  front  to  the  back:  the  covering  was  made  of  slabs,  skins  or 
blankets ;  or,  if  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  the  bark  of  hickory  or  ash  trees. 
The  front  was  left  entirely  open ;  the  fire  was  built  directly  before  this  open- 
ing; the  cracks  between  the  logs  were  h'lled  with  moss;  dry  leaves  served 
for  a  bed,  and  the  whole  was  finished  in  a  few  hours.  A  little  more  pains 
would  have  made  the  hunting-camp  a  complete  defense  against  the  Indians ; 
but  careless  in  that  respect,  the  hunters  were  often  surprised  and  killed  in  their 
camps.  The  site  for  the  camp  was  selected  with  all  the  sagacity  of  the 
backwoodsman,  so  as  to  have  it  sheltered  by  the  surrounding  hills  from  every 
wind,  but  more  especially  from  those  of  the  north  and  west. 

Hunting  was  not  a  mere  ramble  in  pursuit  of  game,  in  which  there  was  no- 
thing of  skill  and  calculation  ;  on  the  contrary,  when  the  hunter  set  out  in 
the  morning,  he  was  informed  by  the  weather  in  what  situation  he  might 
reasonably  expect  to  meet  with  game ;  whether  on  the  bottoms,  sides,  or  tops 
of  the  hills.  In  stormy  weather,  the  deer  always  seek  the  most  sheltered 
places,  and  the  leeward  sides  of  the  hills.  In  rainy  weather,  in  which  there 
is  not  much  wind,  they  keep  in  the  open  woods,  on  the  highest  ground.  In 
every  situation  it  was  requisite  for  the  hunter  to  ascertain  the  course  of  the 
wina,  so  as  to  get  leeward  of  the  game.  This  he  effected  by  putting  his  fin- 
ger in  his  mouth,  and  holding  it  there  until  it  became  warm,  and  then  raising 
it  above  his  head,  the  side  which  first  becomes  cold,  shows  which  way  the 
wind  blows. 

As  it  was  requisite  for  the  hunter,  too,  to  know  the  cardinal  points,  he  had 
only  to  observe  the  trees,  to  ascertain  them.  The  bark  of  an  aged  tree  is 
thicker  and  much  rougher  on  the  north  than  on  the  south  side.  The  same 
thing  may  be  said  of  the  moss  on  the  trees. 

The  whole  business  of  the  hunter  consists  of  a  series  of  intrigues.  From 
morning  until  night  he  was  on  the  alert  to  gain  the  wind  of  his  game,  and 
approach  them  without  being  discovered.  If  he  succeeded  in  killing  a  deer, 
•he  skinned  it  and  hung  it  up  out  of  the  reach  of  the  wolves,  and  immediately 
resumea  the  chase  until  the  close  of  the  evening,  when  he  bent  his  way  to 
his  camp,  kindled  up  his  fire,  and,  together  with  his  fellow-hunter,  cooked 
supper.  The  supper  finished,  the  adventures  of  the  day  furnished  the  tales 
for  the  evening.  The  spike  buck,  the  two  and  three-pronged  buck,  the  doe 
and  barren-doe,  figured  through  their  anecdotes  with  great  advantage.  It 
should  seem,  that  after  hunting  awhile  on  the  same  ground,  the  hunters  be- 
came acquainted  with  nearly  all  the  gangs  of  deer  within  their  range,  so  as 
to  know  each  flock  of  them  when  they  saw  them.  Often  some  old  buck,  by 
means  of  his  superior  sagacity  and  watchfulness,  saved  his  little  gan<*  from 
the  hunter's  skill,  by  giving  timely  notice  of  his  approach.  The  cunning  of 
the  hunter  and  that  ot  the  old  buck,  were  staked  against  each  other,  and  it 
frequently  happened,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  hunting  season,  the  old  fellow 
was  left  the  free,  uninjured  tenant  of  the  forest;  but  if  his  rival  succeeded  in 
bringing  him  down,  the  victory  was  followed  by  no  small  amount  of  boasting 
on  the  part  of  the  conqueror. 

When  the  weather  was  not  suitable  for  hunting,  the  skins  and  carcasses  of 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  131 

the  game  were  brought  in  and  disposed  of.  Many  of  the  hunters  rested  from 
their  labors  on  the  Sabbath  day ;  some  from  motives  of  piety — others  said 
that  when  thev  hunted  on  Sunday,  they  were  sure  to  have  bad  luck  the  rest 
of  the  week. 


ADVENTURES  OF  KENTON. 

SIMON  KENTON,  one  of  the  most  noted  pioneers  of  the  West,  was  born  in 
Virginia,  in  1755.  He  was  of  humble  parentage,  and  of  mixed  Scotch  and 
Irish  origin.  In  the  spring  of  1771,  three  years  before  Dunmore's  war,  when 
he  was  just  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  had  a  serious  quarrel  with  a  young  man, 
a  neighbor,  by  the  name  of  Veach.  Simon  became  desperately  enamored  with 
a  young  lady,  who  soon  after  macried  young  Veach.  Stung  to  frenzy  by  this 
disappointment,  and  imagining  himself  exquisitely  injured,  he,  in  the  heat  of 
passion,  attended  the  wedding  uninvited.  As  soon  as  he  entered  the  room,  he 
went  forward  and  intruded  himself  between  the  groom  and  his  bride.  The 
result  was,  that  young  Veach,  as  soon  as  his  back  was  turned,  knocked  him 
down,  gave  him  a  severe  beating,  and  he  was  expelled  from  the  house  with 
black  eyes  and  sore  bones. 

A  few  days  after,  he  met  Veach  alone,  and  anxious  to  repair  his  wounded 
honor,  had  a  pitched  battle  with  him.  Victory  for  some  time  hung  on  a 
doubtful  balance.  Simon  at  length  threw  his  antagonist  to  the  ground,  and 
as  quick  as  thought  drawing  his  queue  of  long  hair  around  a  small  sapling, 
kicked  him  in  his  breast  and  stomach  until  all  resistance  ceased.  Veach  at- 
tempted to  rise,  but  immediately  sunk  and  began  to  vomit  blood.  As  Simon 
had  not  intended  to  kill  him,  he  now  raised  him  up  and  spoke  kindly  to  him, 
but  he  made  no  answer,  and  sunk  to  the  ground  apparently  lifeless.  Errone- 
ously supposing  he  had  murdered  him,  he  was  overcome  with  the  most  poig- 
nant and  awful  sensations,  and  immediately  fled  to  the  woods.  Lying  con- 
cealed by  day,  and  traveling  by  night,  he  passed  over  the  Alleghanies,  until 
he  arrived,  nearly  starved,  at  a  settlement  on  Cheat  River,  where  he  changed 
his  name  to  Simon  Butler.  Soon  after  he  went  to  Fort  Pitt.  Until  Dun- 
more's  war  broke  out,  he  employed  his  time  mainly  in  hunting.  Kenton  de- 
scribed  this  as  the  most  happy  period  of  his  life.  He  was  in  fine  health, 
found  plenty  of  game  and  fish,  and  free  from  the  cares  of  an  ambitious  world 
and  the  vexations  of  domestic  life,  he  passed  his  time  in  that  happy  state  of 
ease,  indolence,  and  independence,  which  is  the  glory  of  the  hunter  of  the 
forest. 

One  cold  evening  in  March,  after  a  hard  day's  hunt,  Kenton  and  his  two 
companions  were  reposing  upon  bear-skin  pallets,  before  a  cheerful  camp-fire, 
in  the  Kanawha  region,  when  suddenly  the  sharp  crack  of  an  Indian  rifle  laid 
one  of  their  number  a  lifeless  corpse.  They  were  surrounded  by  a  party  of 
lurking  Indians.  Kenton  and  his  surviving  companion  sprang  to  their  feet, 
and  instantly  tied,  with  only  their  lives  and  their  shirts.  Thus  exposed,  in 
winter  weather,  in  the  wilderness,  they  were  compelled  to  wander  through 
briers,  over  rough  stones  and  frozen  ground,  without  lire  and  without  food  lor 
six  days,  until  at  last  they  fell  in  with  a  party  of  hunters  descending  the  Ohio, 
and  obtained  relief.  Their  legs  and  bodies  had  become  so  lacerated  and  torn 
that  they  were  more  than  two  days  in  traveling  the  last  two  miles. 

During  Dunmore's  war  Kenton  was  employed  as  a  spy.  In  the  spring  of 
1775,  he  descended  the  Ohio  to  explore  the  famous  "  cane  lands"  of  Ken- 
tucky. He  and  his  companion,  Williams,  landed  at  the  mouth  of  Limestone, 
on  the  site  of  Maysville,  made  a  camp  a  few  miles  inland,  and  finished  a  small 


HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

clearing,  where  they  planted  some  corn — the  first  planted  nortri  of  Kentucky 
River.  Here,  tending  their  corn  with  their  tomahawks,  they  remained  the 
undisputed  masters  of  all  they  could  see,  until  they  had  the  pleasure  of  eating 
roasting-ears. 

In  one  of  his  solitary  hunting  excursions,  at  this  time,  Kenton,  disguised  as 
an  Indian,  encountered  upon  the  waters  of  Elkhorn,  Michael  Stoner,  a  hunter 
from  North  Carolina,  also  in  Indian  guise.  A  silent  contest  of  Indian  strategy 
for  mutual  destruction  commenced,  but  not  a  word  was  spoken.  Each  be- 
lieving his  antagonist  an  Indian,  sought  by  all  the  arts  of  Indian  warfare,  to 
protect  himself  and  draw  the  enemy's  fire.  After  mutual  efforts  and  maneu- 
vers ineffectually  to  draw  each  other  from  his  shelter,  or  to  steal  his  fire,  Stoner 
suspecting  that  his  antagonist  was  not  an  Indian,  from  his  covert,  exclaimed, 
"  For  God's  sake,  if  you  are  a  white  man,  speak  !"  The  spell  was  broken, 
and  they  became  companions  in  the  solitary  wilderness.  Stoner  conducted 
and  introduced  Kenton  to  the  new  settlements  of  Boonesborough  and  Har- 
rodsburg.  He  had  before  supposed  that  he  and  Williams  were  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Kentucky. 

He  returned  a  short  time  after  to  his  camp  and  clearing.  But  the  Indians 
had  b.een  there  and  plundered  it.  Hard  by,  he  found  the  evidences  of  a  fire, 
with  human  bones  near  it,  which  proclaimed  too  sadly  the  fate  of  Williams, 
the  first  victim,  in  Kentucky,  of  the  war. 

Kenton  returned  to  Harrodsburg,  and  served  the  different  stations  in  the 
capacity  of  a  spy  and  ranger,  to  detect  the  approach  of  the  Indians.  He  be- 
came highly  distinguished  for  his  courage,  skill  and  stratagem  against  the  wary 
savage.  He  had  then  just  arrived  at  manhood,  and  was  a  noble  specimen 
of  the  hardy,  active  backwoodsman  hunter.  He  was  over  six  feet  in  stature, 
erect,  graceful  and  of  uncommon  strength,  endurance  and  agility.  His  com- 
plexion and  hair  were  light,  and  his  soft,  grayish  blue  eye  was  lighted 
up  by  a  bewitching  fascinating  smile.  He  was  frank,  generous  and  confid- 
ing to  a  fault,  and  was  more  interested  in  doing  a  kindness  to  others  than 
in  serving  himself.  When  enraged,  his  glance  was  withering.  To  give  a 
full  account  of  his  adventures,  would  fill  a  volume.  A  few  anecdotes  must 
answer. 

Early  one  morning  in  the  summer  of  1778,  Kenton,  with  two  companions, 
was  just  leaving  the  fort  at  Boonesborough,  on  a  hunting  excursion,  when  two 
men  who  had  gone  into  a  field  to  drive  in  some  horses,  were  fired  upon  by 
five  Indians.  They  fled,  and  when  within  about  seventy  yards  of  the  fort,  an 
•  Indian  overtook,  killed  one  of  them  by  a  blow  with  his  tomahawk,  and  was 
commencing  to  scalp  him,  when  Kenton  shot  him  down.  He  and  his  com- 
panions then  drove  the  remainder  into  the  forest.  In  the  meantime,  Daniel 
Boone,  with  ten  men,  came  out  to  their  assistance.  As  they  were  ad- 
vancing, Kenton  discovered  and  shot  another  Indian,  just  as  he  was  in  the 
act  of  firing.  By  the  time  Boone  had  come  up,  they  heard  a  rush  of  foot- 
steps upon  their  left,  and  discovered  that  a  number  of  Indians  had  got  between 
them  and  the  gate.  Their  peril  was  extreme.  As  their  only  salvation,  Boone 
gave  the  desperate  order  to  charge  through  the  Indian  column;  upon  which, 
they  (irst  discharged  their  rifles,  and  then  clubbing  them,  dashed  down  all  who 
stood  in  their  way.  The  attempt  was  successful ;  but  Boone  would  have  lost 
his  life  had  it  not  been  for  Kenton.  An  Indian  bullet  broke  the  leg  of  Boone, 
and  he  fell.  An  Indian  sprang  forward,  uplifted  his  tomahawk  tor  the  fatal 
blow,  when  Kenton  shot  him  through  the  body,  and  seizing  Boone  from  the 
ground,  carried  him  safe  into  the  fort.  Of  the  fourteen  men  engaged  in  this 
affray,  seven  were  wounded,  but  none  mortally.  Boone,  after  they  had  got 
in.  sent  for  Kenton,  and  said,  "  Well,  Simon,  you  have  behaved  like  a  man 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  133 

to-day  ! — indeed,  you  are  a  fine  fellow  !"     This  simple  eulogium  touched  the 
heart  of  Kenton. 

Boonesborough  was  twice  again  besieged  by  the  Indians  ere  the  close  of 
summer,  during  which,  the  garrison  was  reduced  to  great  extremities  for  want 
of  food,  and  would  have  perished  but  for  his  skill  and  fearless  daring.  In  the 
dead  of  night,  at  the  peril  of  his  life,  Kenton  was  accustomed  to  steal  through 
the  camp  of  the  enemy,  and  plunge  into  the  forest  far  beyond,  in  search  of 
deer  ana  elk.  In  June,  1778,  he  was  the  first  volunteer,  from  the  Kentucky 
stations,  in  Clarke's  hazardous  expedition  against  Illinois.  He  was  the  first 
man  that  entered  Fort  Gage,  and  the  one  who  surprised  Governor  Roche- 
blave  in  his  bed,  and  compelled  him  to  surrender  the  garrison. 

The  most  marked  incidents  in  his  history,  are  the  circumstances  of  his  cap- 
tivity among  the  Indians.  They  are  briefly  these.  In  September,  1778, 
Kenton,  Montgomery  and  Clarke,  left  the  stations,  in  Kentucky,  to  obtain 
horses  from  the  Indians.  They  crossed  the  Ohio,  and  proceeded  cautiously 
to  the  Indian  village,  on  the  site  of  Oldtown,  near  the  site  of  Chillicothe. 
They  caught  seven  horses,  and  rapidly  retreated  to  the  Ohio;  but  the  wind 
blowing  almost  a  hurricane,  made  the  river  so  rough,  that  they  could  not  in- 
duce their  horses  to  take  to  the  water.  The  next  day,  they  were  come  up 
with  by  the  Indians  in  pursuit.  The  whites  happened,  at  the  moment,  to  be 
separated.  Kenton  judging  the  boldest  course  to  be  the  safest,  very  de- 
liberately took  aim  at  the  foremost  Indian.  His  gun  flashed  in  the  pan.  He 
then  retreated.  The  Indians  pursued  on  horseback.  In  his  retreat,  he  passed 
through  a  piece  of  land  where  a  storm  had  torn  up  a  great  part  of  the  timber. 
The  tallen  trees  afforded  him  some  advantage  of  the  Indians  in  the  race,  as 
they  were  on  horseback  and  he  on  foot.  The  Indian  force  divided ;  some 
rode  on  one  side  of  the  fallen  timber,  and  some  on  the  other.  Just  as  he 
emerged  from  the  fallen  timber,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  one  of  the  Indians  met 
him  on  horseback,  and  boldly  rode  up  to  him,  jumped  off  his  horse  and  rushed 
at  him  with  his  tomahawk.  Kenton  concluding  a  .gun-barrel  as  good  a  weapon 
of  defense  as  a  tomahawk,  drew  back  his  gun  to  strike  the  Indian  before  him. 
At  that  instant,  another  Indian,  who,  unperceived  by  Kenton,  had  slipped  up 
behind  him,  clasped  him  in  his  arms.  Being  now  overpowered  by  numbers, 
further  resistance  was  useless — he  surrendered.  While  the  Indians  were 
binding  Kenton  with  tugs,  Montgomery  came  in  view,  and  fired  at  the  In- 
dians, but  missed  his  mark.  Montgomery  fled  on  foot.  Some  of  the  Indians 
pursued,  shot  at,  and  missed  him ;  a  second  fire  was  made,  and  Montgomery 
tell.  The  Indians  soon  returned  to  Kenton,  shaking  at  him  Montgomery's 
bloody  scalp.  Clark,  Kenton's  other  companion,  escaped. 

The  horrors  of  his  captivity  during  nine  months  among  the  Indians  may 
be  briefly  enumerated,  but  they  cannot  be  described.  The  sufferings  of  his 
body  may  be  recounted,  but  the  anguish  of  his  mind,  the  internal  torments  of 
spirit,  none  but  himself  could  know. 

The  first  regular  torture  was  the  hellish  one  of  Mazeppa.  He  was  securely 
bound,  hand  and  foot,  upon  the  back  of  an  unbroken  horse,  which  plunged 
furiously  through  the  forest,  through  thickets,  briers,  and  brush,  vainly  en- 
deavoring to  extricate  himself  from  the  back  of  his  unwelcome  rider  until 
completely  exhausted.  By  this  time  Kenton  had  been  bruised,  lacerated, 
scratched,  and  mangled,  until  life  itself  was  nearly  extinct,  while  his  suffer- 
ings had  afforded  the  most  unbounded  ecstasies  of  mirth  to  his  savage  captors. 
This,  however,  was  only  a  prelude  to  subsequent  sufferings. 

Upon  the  route  to  the  Indian  towns,  for  the  greater  security  of  their  prisoner, 
the  savages  bound  him  securely,  with  his  body  extended  upon  the  ground,  and 
each  foot  and  hand  tied  to  a  stake  or  sapling;  and  to  preclude  the  possibility 
17 


134  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

of  escape,  a  young  sapling  was  laid  across  his  breast,  having  its  extremities 
well  secured  to  the  ground,  while  a  rope  secured  his  neck  to  another  sapling. 
In  this  condition,  nearly  naked,  and  exposed  to  swarms  of  gnats  and  musqui- 
toes,  he  was  compelled  to  spend  the  tedious  night  upon  the  cold  ground,  ex- 
posed to  the  chilling  dews  of  autumn. 

On  the  third  day,  at  noon,  he  was  within  one  mile  of  old  Chillicothe,  the 
present  site  of  Frankfort,  where  he  was  detained  in  confinement  until  the  next 
day.  Toward  evening,  curiosity  had  brought  hundreds,  of  all  sexes  and  con- 
ditions, to  view  the  great  Kentuckian.  Their  satisfaction  at  his  wretched 
condition  was  evinced  by  numerous  grunts,  kicks,  blows  and  stripes,  inflicted 
amid  applauding  yells,  dancing,  and  every  demonstration  of  savage  indignation. 

This,  however,  was  only  a  prelude  to  a  more  energetic  mode  of  torture  the 
next  day,  in  which  the  whole  village  was  to  be  partakers.  The  torture  of  a 
prisoner  is  a  school  for  the  young  warrior,  to  stir  up  his  hatred  for  their  white 
enemies,  and  keep  alive  the  fire  of  revenge,  while  it  affords  sport  and  mirth 
to  gratify  the  vindictive  rage  of  bereaved  mothers  and  relatives,  by  participat- 
ing in  the  infliction  of  the  agonies  which  he  is  compelled  to  suffer. 

Running  the  gantlet  was  the  torture  of  the  next  day,  when  nearly  three 
hundred  Indians,  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages,  were  assembled  for  the  savage 
festival. 

The  ceremony  commenced.  Kenton,  nearly  naked,  and  freed  from  his 
bonds,  was  produced  as  the  victim  of  the  ceremomy.  The  Indians  were 
ranged  in  two  parallel  lines,  about  six  feet  apart,  all  armed  with  sticks, 
hickory  rods,  whips,  and  other  means  of  inflicting  pain.  Between  these  lines, 
for  more  than  half  a  mile,  to  the  village,  the  wretched  prisoner  was  doomed 
to'  run  for  his  life,  exposed  to  such  injury  as  his  tormentors  could  inflict  as  he 
passed.  If  he  succeeded  in  reaching  the  council  house  alive,  it  would  prove 
an  asylum  to  him  for  the  present.  At  a  given  signal,  Kenton  started  in  the 
perilous  race.  Exerting  his  utmost  strength  and  activity,  he  passed  swiftly 
along  the  line,  receiving  numerous  blows,  stripes,  buffets,  and  wounds,  until  he 
approached  the  town,  near  which  he  saw  an  Indian  leisurely  awaiting  his  ad- 
vance with  a  drawn  knife  in  his  hand,  intent  upon  his  death. 

To  avoid  him,  he  instantly  broke  through  the  line,  and  made  his  rapid  wa}- 
toward  the  council-house,  pursued  by  the  promiscuous  crowd,  whooping  and 
yelling  like  infernal  furies  at  his  heels.  Entering  the  town  in  advance  of  his 
pursuers,  just  as  he  had  supposed  the  council-house  within  his  reach,  an  Indian 
was  perceived  leisurely  approaching  him,  with  his  blanket  wrapped  around 
nim  ;  but  suddenly  he  threw  off  his  blanket,  and  sprung  upon  Kenton  as  he 
advanced.  Exhausted  with  fatigue  and  wounds,  he  was  thrown  to  the  ground, 
and  in  a  moment  he  was  beset  with  crowds,  eager  to  strip  him,  and  to  inflict 
upon  him  each  the  kick  or  blow  which  had  been  avoided  by  breaking  through 
the  line.  Here,  beaten,  kicked,  and  scourged  until  he  was  nearly  lifeless,  he 
was  I'-ft  to  die. 

A  few  hours  afterward,  having  partially  revived,  he  was  s'Vpplied  with  food 
and  water,  and  was  suffered  to  recuperate  for  a  few  days,  until  he  was  able  to 
attend  at  the  council-house  and  receive  the  announcement  of  his  final  doom. 

After  a  violent  discussion,  the  council,  by  a  large  majority,  determined  that 
he  should  be  made  a  public  sacrifice  to  the  vengeance  of  the  nation;  and  the 
decision  was  announced  by  a  burst  of  savage  joy,  with  yells  and  shouts  which 
made  the  welkin  ring.  The  place  of  execution  was  Wappatomica,  the  present 
site  of  Zanesfield,  in  Logan  county,  Ohio.  On  his  route  to  this  place,  he 
was  taken  through  Pickaway  and  Mackacheck,  on  the  Scioto,  where  he  was 
again  compelled  to  undergo  the  torture  of  the  gantlet,  and  was  scourged 
through  the  line  A.t  this  place,  smarting  under  his  woundvS  and  bruises,  he 


FRONTIER  LIFE—NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  135 

was  detained  several  days,  in  order  that  he  might  recuperate  preparatory  to  his 
march  to  Wappatomica.  At  length,  being  carelessly  guarded,  he  determined, 
if  possible,  to  make  his  escape  from  the  impending  doom.  In  this  attempt  he 
had  proceeded  two  miles  from  the  place  of  confinement,  when  he  was  met  by 
two  Indians  on  horseback,  who  in  a  brutal  manner  drove  him  back  to  the  vil- 
lage. The  last  ray  of  hope  had  now  expired,  and,  loathing  a  Hfe  of  continual 
suffering,  he  in  despair  resigned  himself  to  his  fate. 

His  late  attempt  to  escape  had  brought  upon  him  a  repetition  of  savage  tor- 
ture, which  had  well-nigh  closed  his  sufferings  forever,  and  he  verily  believed 
himself  a  "  God-forsaken  wretch."  Taken  to  a  neighboring  creek,  he  was 
thrown  in  and  dragged  through  mud  and  water,  and  submerged  repeatedly, 
until  life  was  nearly  extinct,  when  he  was  again  left  in  a  dying  state ;  but  the 
constitutional  vigor  within  him  revived,  and  a  few  days  afterward  he  was 
taken  to  Wappatomica  for  execution.  At  Wappatomica  he  first  saw,  at  a 
British  trading-post,  his  old  friend  Simon  Girty,  who  had  become  a  renegade, 
in  all  the  glory  of  his  Indian  life,  surrounded  by  swarms  of  Indians,  who  had 
come  to  view  the  doomed  prisoner  and  to  witness  his  torture.  Yet  Girty  sus- 
pected not  the  presence  of  his  old  acquaintance  at  Fort  Pitt.  Although  well 
acquainted  with  Kenton  only  a  few  years  before,  his  present  mangled  condition 
and  his  blackened  face  left  no  traces  of  recognition  in  Girty's  mind.  Looking 
upon  him  as  a  doomed  victim,  beyond  the  reach  of  pity  or  hope,  he  could  view 
him  only  as  the  victim  of  sacrifice;  but  so  soon  as  Kenton  succeeded  in 
making  himself  known  to  Girty,  the  hard  heart  of  the  latter  at  once  relented, 
and  sympathizing  with  his  miserable  condition  and  still  more  horrid  doom,  he 
resolved  to  make  an  effort  for  his  release.  His  whole  personal  influence,  and 
his  eloquence,  no  less  than  his  intrigue,  were  put  in  requisition  for  the  safety 
of  his  fallen  friend.  He  portrayed  in  strong  language  the  policy  of  preserving 
the  life  of  the  prisoner,  and  the  advantage  which  might  accrue  to  the  Indians 
from  the  possession  of  one  so  intimately  acquainted  with  all  the  white  settle- 
ments. For  a  time  Girty's  eloquence  prevailed,  and  a  respite  was  granted ; 
but  suspicions  arose,  and  he  was  again  summoned  before  the  council.  The 
death  of  Kenton  was  again  decreed.  Again  the  influence  of  Girty  prevailed, 
and  through  finesse  he  accomplished  a  further  respite,  together  with  a  removal 
of  the  prisoner  to  Sandusky. 

Here,  again,  the  council  decreed  his  death,  and  again  he  was  compelled  to 
submit  to  the  terrors  of  the  gantlet,  preliminary  to  his  execution.  Still  Girty 
did  not  relax  his  efforts.  Despairing  of  his  own  influence  with  the  council, 
he  secured  the  aid  and  influence  of  Logan,  "  the  friend  of  white  men."  Logan 
interceded  with  Captain  Drouillard,  a  British  officer,  and  procured  through 
him,  the  offer  of  a  liberal  ransom  to  the  vindictive  savages  for  the  life  of  the 
prisoner.  Captain  Drouillard  met  the  council,  and  urged  the  great  advantage 
such  a  prisoner  would  be  to  the  commandant  at  Detroit,  in  procuring  from  him 
.  such  information  as  would  greatly  facilitate  his  future  operations  against  the 
rebel  colonies.  At  the  same  time,  appealing  to  their  avarice,  he  suggested 
that  the  ransom  would  be  proportionate  to  the  value  of  the  prisoner. 

Drouillard  guaranteed  the  ransom  of  one  hundred  dollars  for  his  delivery, 
and  Kenton  was  given  to  him  in  charge  for  the  commandant  at  Detroit.  As 
soon  as  his  mind  was  out  of  suspense,  his  robust  constitution  and  iron  frame 
recovered  from  the  severe  treatment  which  they  had  undergone.  Kenton 
passed  the  winter  and  spring  at  Detroit.  Among  the  prisoners,  were  Capt. 
Nathan  Bullit  and  Jesse  Coffer.  They  had  the  liberty  of  the  town,  and  could 
stroll  about  at  pleasure. 

With  these  two  men,  Kenton  began  to  meditate  an  escape.  They  had  fre- 
quent conferences  on  the  subject;  but  the  enterprise  was  almost  too  appalling 


!36  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

for  even  these  hardy,  enterprising  pioneers.  If  they  should  make  this  bold 
push,  they  would  have  to  travel  nearly  four  hundred  miles  through  the  Indian 
country,  where  they  would  be  exposed  to  death  by  starvation,  by  flood,  by 
the  tomahawk,  or  to  capture,  almost  at  every  step.  But  the  longer  they 
brooded  over  the  enterprise,  the  stronger  their  resolutions  grew  to  make  the 
attempt.  They  could  make  no  movement  to  procure  arms,  ammunition,  01 
provision,  without  exciting  suspicion;  and  should  they  be  once  suspected 
they  would  be  immediately  confined.  In  this  situation,  they  could  only  brood 
over  their  wished  flight  in  secret  and  in  silence.  Kenton  was  a  fine  looking 
man,  with  a  dignified  and  manly  deportment,  and  a  soft,  pleasing  voice,  and 
was,  everywhere  he  went,  a  favorite  among  the  ladies.  A  Mrs.  Harvey,  the 
wife  of  an  Indian  trader,  had  treated  him  with  particular  respect  ever  since  he 
came  to  Detroit,  and  he  concluded  if  he  could  engage  this  lady  as  a  confidant, 
by  her  assistance  and  countenance,  ways  and  means  could  be  prepared  to  aid 
them  in  their  meditated  flight.  Kenton  approached  Mrs.  Harvey  on  this  deli- 
cate and  interesting  subject,  with  as  much  trepidation  and  coyness  as  ever 
maiden  was  approached  in  a  love  affair.  The  great  difficulty  with  Kenton 
was  to  get  the  subject  opened  with  Mrs.  Harvey.  If  she  should  reject  his 
suit  and  betray  his  intentions,  all  his  fond  hopes  would  be  at  once  blasted. 
However,  at  length  he  concluded  to  trust  this  lady  with  the  scheme  of  his 
meditated  flight,  and  the  part  he  wished  her  to  act  for  him.  He  watched  an 
opportunity  to  have  a  private  interview  with  Mrs.  Harvey;  an  opportunity 
soon  offered,  and  he,  without  disguise  or  hesitation,  in  full  confidence  informed 
her  of  his  intention,  and  requested  her  aid  and  secrecy.  She  appeared  at  first 
astonished  at  his  proposal,  and  observed  that  it  was  not  in  her  power  to  af- 
ford him  any  aid.  Kenton  told  her  he  did  not  expect  or  wish  her  to  be  at 
any  expense  on  their  account — that  they  had  a  little  money  for  which  they 
had  labored,  and  that  they  wished  her  to  be  their  agent  to  purchase  such  ar- 
ticles as  would  be  necessary  for  them  in  their  flight — that  if  they  should  go 
to  purchasing,  it  would  create  suspicion,  but  that  she  could  aid  them  in  this 
way  without  creating  any  suspicion;  and  if  she  would  be  their  friend,  they 
had  no  doubt  they  could  effect  their  escape.  This  appeal  from  such  a  fine 
looking  man  as  Kenton,  was  irresistible.  There  was  something  pleasing  in 
being  the  selected  confidant  of  such  a  man;  and  the  lady,  though  a  little  coy 
at  first,  surrendered  at  discretion.  After  a  few  chit  chats,  she  entered  into  the 
views  of  Kenton  with  as  much  earnestness  and  enthusiasm  as  if  she  had  been 
his  sister.  She  began  to  collect  and  conceal  such  articles  as  might  be  neces- 
sary in  the  journey — powder,  lead,  moccasins,  and  dried  beef  were  procured 
in  small  quantities,  and  concealed  in  a  hollow  tree  some  distance  out  of  town. 
Guns  were  still  wanting,  and  it  would  not  do  for  a  lady  to  trade  in  them. 
Mr.  Harvey  had  an  excellent  fowling-piece,  if  nothing  better  should  offer,  that 
she  said,  should  be  at  their  service.  They  had  now  everything  that  they  ex- 
pected to  take  with  them  in  their  flight  ready,  except  guns. 

At  length  the  third  day  of  June,  1779,  came,  and  a  large  concourse  of  In- 
dians were  in  the  town  engaged  in  a  drunken  frolic;  they  had  stacked  their 
guns  near  Mrs.  Harvey's  house ;  as  soon  as  it  was  dark,  Mrs.  Harvey  went 
quietly  to  where  the  Indians'  guns  were  stacked,  and  selected  the  three  best 
looking  rifles,  carried  them  into  her  garden,  and  concealed  them  in  a  patch 
of  peas.  She  next  went  privately  to  Kenton's  lodging,  and  conveyed  to  him 
the  intelligence  where  she  had  hid  the  Indians'  guns.  She  told  him  she 
would  place  a  ladder  at  the  back  of  the  garden  (it  was  picketed,)  and  that  he 
could  come  in  and  get  the  guns.  No  time  was  to  be  lost ;  Kenton  conveyed 
the  good  news  he  had  from  Mrs.  Harvey  to  his  companions,  who  received 
the  tidings  in  ecstasies  of  joyj  they  felt  as  if  they  were  already  at  home.  It 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  137 

was  a  dark  night ;  Kenton,  Bullit  and  Coffer  gathered  up  their  little  all  and 
pushed  to  Mrs.  Harvey's  garden.  There  they  found  the  ladder;  Kenton 
mounted  over,  drew  the  ladder  over  after  him,  went  to  the  pea-patch,  found 
Mrs.  Harvey  sitting  by  the  guns;  she  handed  him  the  rifles,  gave  him  a 
friendly  shake  of  the  hand,  and  bid  him  a  safe  journey  to  his  friends  and 
countrymen.  She  appeared  to  Kenton  and  his  comrades  as  an  angel.  When 
a  woman  engages  to  do  an  action,  she  will  risk  limb,  life,  or  character  to 
serve  those  whom  she  respects  or  wishes  to  befriend.  How  differently  the 
same  action  will  be  viewed,  by  different  persons — by  Kenton  and  his  friends 
her  conduct  was  viewed  as  the  benevolent  action  of  a  good  angel ;  while  if 
the  part  she  played  in  behalf  of  Kenton  and  his  companions  had  been 
known  to  the  commander  at  Detroit,  she  would  have  been  looked  upon  as  a 
traitress,  who  merited  the  scorn  and  contempt  of  all  honest  citizens.  This 
night  was  the  last  time  that  Kenton  ever  saw  or  heard  of  her. 

A  few  days  before  Kenton  left  Detroit,  he  had  a  'conversation  with  an  In- 
dian trader,  a  Scotchman,  by  the  name  of  McKenzie,  who  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  geography  of  the  country,  and  range  of  the  Indians,  between  the 
lakes  and  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi.  The  Scotchman  slily  observed  to 
Kenton,  that  if  he  was  going  to  Kentucky,  and  did  not  wish  to  meet  with  the 
Indians,  he  would  steer  more  west  than  the  common  route,  and  get  into 
Wabash  prairies  as  soon  as  possible.  Kenton  did  not  know  what  to  think  of 
the  remarks  of  the  Scotchman.  He  began  to  think  that  perhaps  Mrs.  Har- 
vey had  divulged  his  secret  to  this  man,  and  that  he  was  pumping  Kenton;  or 
probably  he  wished  to  aid  him,  and  this  was  offering  friendly  advice.  As 
no  more  was  said,  he  did  not  pretend  to  notice  what  the  Scotchman  said,  but 
treasured  the  remarks  in  his  mind. 

As  soon  as  Kenton  and  his  companions  took  their  leave  of  their  friend  and 
benefactress,  Mrs.  Harvey,  they  made  their  way  to  the  little  store  in  the  hol- 
low tree,  bundled  up,  and  pushed  for  the  wood,  and  steered  a  more  westerly, 
than  the  direct  course  to  Kentucky.  They  had  no  doubt  but  every  effort 
would  ba  made  to  retake  them ;  they  were,  consequently,  very  circumspect 
and  cautious  in  leaving  as  few  traces,  by  which  they  might  be  discovered,  as 
possible.  They  went  on  slowly,  traveling  mostly  in  the  night,  steering  their 
course  by  the  cluster,  called  the  seven  stars,  until  they  reached  the  prairie 
country,  on  the  Wabash.  In  this  time,  though  they  had  been  very  sparing 
of  their  stock  of  provision,  it  was  now  exhausted,  and -their  lives  depended 
on  their  guns.  In  these  large  prairies  there  was  but  little  game,  and  they 
were  days  without  provision.  They,  like  the  Hebrews  of  old,  began  to  wish 
themselves  again  with  the  flesh-pots  at  Detroit.  One  day  as  they  were  pass- 
ing down  the  Wabash,  they  were  just  emerging  out  of  a  thicket  of  brush- 
wood, when  an  Indian  encampment  suddenly  presented  itself  to  their  view, 
and  not  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  yards  from  them. 
No  ghastly  visit  could  have  set  their  hair  on  end  sooner.  They  immediately 
dodged  back  into  the  thicket,  and  concealed  themselves  until  night.  They 
were  now  almost  exhausted  with  fatigue  and  hunger — they  could  only  travel 
a  few  miles  in  a  day.  They  lay  still  in  the  thicket,  consulting  with  each 
other  the  most  proper  measures  to  pursue  in  this  their  precarious  situation. 
Bullit  and  Coffer  thought  the  best  plan  to  save  their  lives,  would  be  volun- 
tarily to  surrender  themselves  to  the  Indians.  The  Indians  who  had  taken 
them  had  not  treated  them  so  roughly  as  Kenton  had  been  handled.  Kenton 
wished  to  lay  still  until  night,  and  make  as  little  sign  as  possible,  and  as  soon 
as  it  was  dark  they  would  push  ahead,  and  trust  the  event  to  Providence. 
After  considerable  debate,  Kenton's  plan  was  adopted.  The  next  morning, 
Kenton  shot  a  deer.  They  made  a  fire  and  went  to  cooking ;  and  never  did 


138  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

food  taste  more  delicious.  They  then  pursued  their  toilsome  march,  and  ar- 
rived, without  further  adventure,  at  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  (now  Louisville) 
on  the  thirty-third  day  of  their  escape. 

Until  the  close  of  the  war,  he  continued  an  active  partisan.  From  1784 
to  1792,  he  was  in  many  severe  encouuters  with  the  savages,  and  on  one 
occasion  with  Tecumseh,  then  a  young  chief  rapidly  rising  into  notice. 
Kenton  was  with  Wayne,  in  the  capacity  of  Major,  in  the  early  part  of  his 
campaign. 

When  the  war  was  over,  he  settled  on  his  farm,  near  Maysville,  where  he 
possessed  extensive  lands,  and  was  considered  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in 
Kentucky.  His  house  was  the  abode  of  hospitality,  and  he  began  to  enjoy 
the  comforts  of  a  green  old  age  in  peace  and  competence,  but  a  dark  cloud 
was  lowering  upon  his  prospects.  Ignorant  of  the  technicalities  of  the  law,  he 
had  failed  to  render  his  title  secure,  and,  like  Boone  and  Clarke,  he  was  rob- 
bed in  successive  law-suits,  of  one  piece  of  land  after  another,  until  he  found 
in  his  declining  age,  himself  and  family  reduced  to  poverty  and  want. 

About  the  year  1802,  he  settled  in  Urbana,  Ohio,  where  he  remained 
some  years,  and  was  elected  brigadier-general  of  militia.  In  the  war  of  1812, 
he  joined  the  army  of  Gen.  Harrison,  and  was  at  the  battle  of  the  Moravian 
town,  where  he  displayed  his  usual  intrepidity.  About  the  year  1820,  he 
moved  to  the  head  of  Mad  River.  A  few  years  after,  through  the  exertions 
of  Judge  Burnet  and  General  Vance,  a  pension  of  twenty  dollars  per  month 
was  granted  to  him,  which  secured  his  declining  age  from  want.  He  died 
in  1836,  at  which  time  he  had  been  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  over 
a  quarter  of  a  century.  The  frosts  of  more  than  eighty  winters  had  fallen  on 
his  head  without  entirely  whitening  his  locks,  notwithstanding  he  had  passed 
through  more  dangers,  privations,  perils  and  hair-breadth  escapes  than  any 
man  living  or  dead. 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  FUR  TRADE. 

THE  French  were  the  pioneers  in  the  Fur  Trade.  It  was  in  fact  the  great 
source  which  gave  early  sustenance  and  vitality  to  their  Canadian  provinces, 
and  of  no  less  importance  to  them  than  the  precious  metals  of  the  South  to 
the  Spanish  colonies.  At  an  early  period,  long  before  the  English  had  crossed 
the  Alleghanies,  their  colonies,  missionary  stations,  trading-posts  and  forts 
were  located  in  the  choicest  points  of  the  west.  The  enormous  profits  of  this 
trade,  the  ease  with  which  they  conformed  to  the  Indian  habits,  led  them  to 
extend  the  traffic  far  into  the  interior  and  over  an  immense  extent  of  territory. 
This  trade  was  carried  on  by  a  hardy  race,  the  "  Coureurs  des  bois"  who 
joined  with  the  Indians  in  hunting  parties,  and  often  passing  from  one  to  two 
years  in  these  expeditions.  These  men  were  a  sort  of  peddlers,  who  received 
credit  from  the  merchants  for  their  stock  in  trade  and  supplied  them  in  return 
with  their  furs.  Eventually  military  posts  were  established,  and  a  body  of 
more  respectable  men  introduced  order  in  the  traffic,  repressed  the  excesses  of 
the  coureurs  des  bois,  who  were  extremely  licentious  and  dissipated,  and  ex- 
tended the  trade  as  far  north  as  Saskatchawan  River,  in  lat.  62  deg.  north 
and  Ion.  102  deg.  west.  The  French  first  visited  Red  River,  and  built  Fort  de 
la  Reine  near  the  mouth  of  the  Assiniboine,  which  became  a  place  of  great 
resort  for  traders. 

While  the  French  were  thus  spreading  themselves  over  the  western  country, 
the  English  were  not  idle.  In  the'  year  1669  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
was  formed  under  the  auspices  of  a  charter  from  Charles  the  Second,  which 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  139 

gave  them  the  sole  right  to  trade  in  Hudson's  Bay  and  the  territories  on  the 
coast.  Previous  to  this,  however,  the  French  had  established  Post  Nelson 
and  New  Albany  on  Hudson's  Bay,  and  in  1686  they  took  all  the  English 
posts,  from  Fort  Rupert  to  Albany,  except  that  of  Nelson.  By  the  treaty  of 
1763  the  French  surrendered  to  the  English,  Canada  and  their  western  pos- 
sessions, and  the  trade  became  almost  exclusively  confined  to  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  whose  agents  were  distributed  throughout  the  western  country. 
Although  rid  of  their  French  rivals,  they  were  not  long  permitted  to  enjoy 
their  monopoly.  In  1766  private  adventurers  began  to  extend  their  traffic 
along  the  shores  of  the  lake  and  to  come  into  collision  with  them.  Some  of 
the  most  wealthy  of  these  individuals  united  in  1783,  and  established  the 
Northwest  Company,  which  became  one  of  the  most  active  and  enterpris- 
ing associations  that  ever  existed, — almost  rivaling  the  famous  East  India 
Company.  They  erected  new  posts  along  the  lakes  and  occupied  the  old 
French  trading  stations.  Their  agents  were  posted  at  Montreal,  Detroit, 
Mackinaw,  Sault  Saint  Marie,  and  at  Fort  Charlotte,  at  the  Grand  Portage 
near  Lake  Superior ;  also  at  Sandy  Lake,  Leech  Lake  and  other  points  in 
Minnesota. 

Their  principal  depc*  in  the  north-west  was  at  Fort  William,  situated  on 
Kamanatekwoye  Riv^r,  in  lat.  48  deg.  23£  min.  north.  This  fort  was  on  so 
large  a  scale  as  to  accommodate  forty  partners,  with  their  clerks  and  families. 
About  these  posts  were  many  half-breeds,  whose  members  were  constantly 
increasing  by  the  intermarriages  of  the  French  traders  with  the  Indian  women. 
Tltoir  goods  consisting  principally  of  blankets,  cutlery,  printed  calicoes,  rib- 
bons, glass  beads,  and  other  trinkets,  were  forwarded  to  the  posts  from  Mon- 
treal in  packages  of  about  90  pounds  each,  and  exchanged  in  winter  for  furs, 
which  in  the  summer  were  conveyed  to  Montreal  in  canoes  carrying  each 
about  65  packages  and  ten  men.  The  Mackinaw  Company,  also  English 
merchants,  had  their  head-quarters  at  Mackinaw,  while  their  trading-posts 
were  over  a  thousand  miles  distant,  on  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi. 

Between  the  Northwest  arid  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  a  powerful  rivalry 
existed.  The  boundaries  of  the  latter  not  being  established,  desperate  col- 
lisions often  took  place,  and  the  posts  of  each  were  frequently  attacked.  When 
Lieut.  Pike  ascended  the  upper  Mississippi  in  1805,  he  found  the  fur  trade  in 
the  exclusive  possession  of  the  Northwest  Company,  which  was  composed 
wholly  of  foreigners.  Although  the  lake  posts  were  surrendered  to  our  gov- 
ernment in  1796,  American  a  thority  was  not  felt  in  that  quarter  until  aftei 
the  war  of  1812,  owing  to  de  influence  the  English  exercised  over  the  In 
dians.  It  was  from  fear  or  American  rivalry  that  the  British  fur  traders  in 
stigated  the  Indians  to  border  wars  against  the  early  settlements.  In  181 6, 
Congress  passed  a  law  excluding  foreigners  from  the  Indian  trade.  For  the 
encouragement  of  the  fur  trade  and  the  protection  of  our  frontier,  military 
posts  were  established  at  St.  Peters  and  Prairie  du  Chien  in  1819,  and  St. 
Mary's  Falls,  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Superior,  in  1822. 

In  the  meantime  the  Northwest  Company  transferred  all  their  trading-posts 
south  of  the  boundary  line  to  an  American  Fur  Company,  organized  by  John 
Jacob  Astor.  They  however  carried  on  an  active  trade  along  the  lines,  and 
maintained  a  spirited  opposition  to  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 

The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  1811  made  a  grant  to  Lord  Selkirk,  who 
was  one  of  the  principal  partners,  of  a  tract  of  land  about  as  large  as  Georgia, 
including  Red  River  up  to  Red  Fork.  Having  extinguished  the  Indian  title, 
he  engaged  with  great  enthusiasm  in  colonizing  this  El  Dorado  of  his.  In 
1812  he  planted  a  colony  on  Red  River,  which  he  settled  with  English, 
Highland  Scotch,  Swiss  and  soldiers,  and  emigrants  from  other  parts  of  Eu- 


140  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

rope.  In  consequence  of  the  hardships  endured  and  the  hostilities  between  the 
Hudson's  Bay  and  the  Northwest  Companies,  by  which  some  of  the  colonists 
lost  their  lives,  the  settlement  in  1815  was  broken  up.  In  an  attempt  to 
refound  it  the  next  year,  they  were  again  assaulted,  and  Semple,  their  gov- 
ernor, killed. 

Lord  Selkirk,  however,  persevered  in  maintaining  the  rights  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company.  With  a  detachment  of  soldiers  he  marched  through  the 
country,  and  took  possession  of  the  trading-posts  of  the  rival  company ;  and 
finally,  in  1821,  put  an  end  to  hostilities  by  consolidating  the  two  companies 
into  one.  From  that  period  his  colony  began  to  thrive.  In  1822,  it  being 
discovered  that  Pembina,  the  southern  settlement  on  Red  River,  in  the  uppei 
Mississippi  country,  was  within  the  boundary  line  of  the  United  States,  the 
post  of  the  Company  was  removed  to  the  other  settlement  about  60  miles 
distant  on  the  British  side  of  the  line,  in  a  region  of  almost  Siberian  severity. 

The  fur  traders,  stationed  at  a  distance  from  the  borders  of  civilisation, 
generally  select  their  wives  from  among  the  Indians,  which  they  are  accus- 
tomed to  obtain  by  purchase  from  their  parents.  Hence,  there  has  arisen 
around  the  trading-posts  large  numbers  of  half-breeds.  Of  these  the  males, 
who  are  employed  in  the  business,  are  nicknamed  Bois  Brulc,  i.  e.  Burnt 
Wood,  from  thfnr  dark  complexion.  Their  dress  is  picturesque,  being  a 
combination  of  the  European  and  Indian  costume.  Their  countenance  is  full 
of  expression,  and  when  excited  to  anger,  more  demoniac,  if  possible,  than 
even  the  Indian.-  They  are  expert  in  everything  that  appertains  to  a  forest 
life  ;  active,  enduring,  and  skillful  in  the  chase  or  in  managing  the  bark  canoe 
through  perilous  passages.  Accustomed  from  their  early  infancy  to  the  arts 
of  the  fur  trade,  one  of  the  worst  schools  for  morals,  they  are  unsurpassed  in 
cunning  and  artifice  by  even  the  shrewdest  specimen  of  the  Sam  Slick  genus. 

The  voyageurs  in  carrying  their  packs  of  skins  use  bark  canoes,  or  the 
canos  du  nord.  This  kind  of  canoe  is  generally  constructed  of  ribs  of  cedar 
bent  to  the  required  form,  the  ends  being  secured  to  a  band  that  forms  the 
superior  edge  of  the  vessel  and  acts  as  a  gunwale.  Over  these  ribs  the  birch 
bark  is  laid  in  as  large  pieces  as  possible,  usually  so  that  there  shall  be  but 
two  longitudinal  seams  and  two  or  three  transverse.  Between  the  bark  and 
the  ribs  thin  splints  of  cedar  are  placed  to  prevent  the  bark  from  splitting. 
All  the  joints  are  sewed  by  long  threads  made  by  splitting  the  roots  of  a  tree, 
called  by  the  voyageurs  epinette,  and  which  is  probably  a  spruce.  The  joints 
and  cracks  .ire  made  water-tight,  by  applying  hot  pitch  from  the  gum  of  the 
same  tree.  In  this  manner  a  little  vessel  is  made,  capable  of  carrying  3000 
pounds.  In  dimensions  they  are  generally  about  30  feet  long,  fourfeet  wide  in 
the  center,  and  30  inches  deep.  Great  care  is  required  in  preventing  them  from 
touching  the  shore  or  a  rock,  as  they  would  otherwise  break ;  hence  they  are 
never  brought  near  a  bank.  Two  men  keep  the  canoe  afloat  at  a  distance, 
while  the  rest  of  the  crew  load  and  unload  her.  Every  night  the  canoe  is 
unloaded,  raised  out  of  the  water  and  left  on  the  beach  bottom  upward. 
This  is  also  occasionally  done  when  they  ship  during  the  day.  It  affords  an 
opportunity  for  it  to  dry,  as  otherwise  the  bark  would  become  too  heavy  by 
absorbing  water. 

The  many  portages  on  the  routes  of  the  fur  trader  require  a  boat  of  this 
light  material,  that  can  be  readily  carried  over  land  and  again  launched.  As 
soon  as  a  canoe  reaches  a  portage  a  scene  of  bustle  and  activity  takes  place. 
The  goods  are  unloaded  and  conveyed  across,  while  the  canoe  is  carried  over 
and  again  launched  and  loaded  without  loss  of  time, — a  portage  of  100  yards 
not  detaining  the  voyageurs  over  20  minutes.  The  whole  care  and  attention 
of  the  voyageur  seems  to  center  in  his  canoe,  which  he  handles  with  an  aston- 


FUR  TRADERS'   STATION,  MINNESOTA, 

"Lake  Travers,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  -water,  is  shown;  the  Fort  of  the  Columbia 
Fur  Company,  with  some  Indian  lodges  near  it,  and  in  the  foreground  a  scaffold, 
upon  which  the  remains  of  a  Sioux  or  Dacotah  warrior  had  been  temporarily 
deposited  in  a  coffin,  bound  round  with  bark  -  -PA.au  159 


18 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  143 

ishing  degree  of  dexterity  and  caution :  indeed  the  greatest  care  and  skill  is 
required  in  their  management. 

The  voyageurs  compute  distances  by  pipes,  which  are  the  intervals  between 
the  times  when  they  cease  to  paddle  in  order  to  smoke  their  pipe.  As  may 
be  imagined,  the  length  of  a  pipe  is  varied  according  to  circumstances.  When 
the  porterage  is  of  much  length,  they  divide  it  into  pauses,  or  distances 
traveled  without  stopping  to  rest.  These  average  about  a  third  of  a  mile. 

The  fur  trade  was  formerly  very  lucrative,  and  immense  fortunes  were  realized 
in  a  short  time  by  those  engaged  in  it.  It  was  this  trade  that  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  the  fortune  of  Astor.  Major  Long's  guide  in  1823  informed  him 
that,  eighteen  years  before,  he  purchased  of  an  Indian  120  beaver  skins  for 
two  blankets,  two  gallons  of  rum  and  a  pocket  mirror.  The  beaver  sold  in 
Montreal  for  over  $400.  This  was  considered  fair  dealing  with  the  Indians 
at  the  time.  Now  competition  has  reduced  it  nearer  to  a  par  with  ordinary 
commercial  transactions. 

The  resident  trader  not  only  endures  a  good  deal  of  hardship  and  suffering 
from  his  position  in  the  distant  wilderness,  but  often  is  in  great  personal 
danger  from  the  treacherous  race  with  whom  he  deals.  In  resisting  the 
attacks  of  the  Indians,  some  of  the  traders  generally  exhibit  great  courage 
and  presence  of  mind,  of  which  the  subjoined  anecdote  is  illustrative. 

Some  Indians  entered  the  store  of  a  trader  at  St.  Peters  to  assassinate  him. 
Aware  of  the  plot,  he  seized  a  coal  of  fire  as  they  came  in,  placed  himself  before 
a  keg  of  gunpowder,  and  addressed  them  as  follows :  "You  come  here  to  kill 
me.  You  know  that  I  am  a  brave  man  and  not  a  coward,  and  that  I  will  not 
die  like  a  dog.  Go  back  to  your  lodges  and  bid  adieu  to  your  wives  and  child- 
ren, for,  if  I  die,  you  must  all  die  with  me.  Approach  not  another  foot 
toward  me.  Leave  instantly,  or  I  will  apply  a  coal  to  this  keg  of  powder 
.and  blow  you  all  to  atoms."  They  decamped  precipitately,  and  molested  him 
no  farther. 

The  lives  of  the  fur  traders,  in  early  times,  were  not  of  constant  privations. 
They  had  their  seasons  of  relaxation,  and  their  times  of  conviviality.  When 
assembled  at  their  periodical  meetings  at  Mackinaw  or  Fort  William,  on 
Lake  Superior,  they  were  provided  with  the  choicest  dainties,  and  the  hours 
passed  away  with  a  continual  round  of  feasting  and  hilarity.  The  wealthy 
partners  in  Montreal  lived  like  nabobs.  They  were  the  aristocrats  of  Canada. 
Their  glory  vanished  by  the  failure  of  the  Northwest  Company. 

The  wealthy  bachelor  fur  traders  were  considered  high  game  by  the 
fasionable  belles  of  the  Canadian  cities.  And  many  were  there  of  this  class, 
who,  after  having  spent  a  generation  in  the  backwoods,  and  raised  .up  families 
of  half-breed  children,  that,  in  their  old  age,  found  themselves  united  to  young 
and  beautiful  ladies  of  Montreal  and  Quebec. 

The  view  (Eng.  p.  141)  of  the  Fur  Trading  stations  at  Lake  Travers  in 
Minnesota,  at  the  head  of  navigation  of  the  Red  and  St.  Peters  Rivers,  was 
taken  about  the  year  1823.  Lake  Travers,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  is 
shown;  the  fort  of  the  Columbia  Fur  Company,  with  some  Indian  lodges 
near  it,  and  in  the  foreground  a  scaffold  upon  which  the  remains  of  a  Sioux  or 
Dacotah  warrior  had  been  temporarily  deposited  in  a  coffin  bound  round  with 
bark,  according  to  the  custom  of  that  tribe. 

Another  view  (Eng.  p.  145)  is  given,  which  indicates  them  more  plainly. 
Two  different  kinds  of  lodges  are  used  by  the  Indians  of  the  Northwest,  viz: 
the  conical  buffalo  skin  lodge  and  the  oblong  birch  bark  lodge.  Those  who 
reside  on  the  prairies,  and  who  hunt  the  buffalo,  use  the  skin  lodge,  which  is 
formed  of  several  buffalo  skins  united  into  one  and  wound  around  a  number 
of  light  poles,  so  as  to  form  a  conical  tent.  Those  who  live  northeast  of  the 


144  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

buffalo  regions  construct  their  lodges*  of  large  pieces  of  birch  bark,  stretched 
upon  the  young  branches  of  trees,  bent  so  as  to  form  an  oblong  lodge.  These 
are  covered  with  bark,  which,  when  they  travel,  is  rolled  up  and  carried  by  the 
women.  In  the  engraving  the  dress,  appearance  and  attitude  of  the  Indians 
and  half-breeds  are  given.  It  also  exhibits  two  Indian  dogs  carrying  burdens 
in  the  manner  of  pack-horses.  This  animal  generally  consumes  daily  from 
six  to  ten  pounds  of  fresh  meat.  They  are  almost  indispensable  to  the  fur 
traders,  who  have  initiated  the  Indians  in  their  use.  For  winter  traveling,  in 
a  country  so  covered  with  snow,  the  dog  is  the  most  convenient  beast  of 
burden.  Six  dogs  will  easily  draw  a  load  of  one  thousand  pounds.  In  travel- 
ing on  the  snow  with  dog  trains,  it  is  usual  for  a  man  to  walk  ahead  with 
snow  shoes,  to  trample  down  the  snow,  in  which  otherwise  they  would  sink. 
After  death  the  dog  forms  one  of  the  best  articles  of  food  for  the  Indian.  In 
the  narrative  of  Long's  expedition,  the  writer  describes  the  meat  as  remarkably 
fat,  sweet  and  palatable,  and  says,  that,  "could  we  have  divested  ourselves 
of  the  prejudices  of  education,  we  should  doubtless  have  unhesitatingly  ac- 
knowleaged  it  to  be  among  the  best  meat  we  had  ever  eaten. 

The  most  successful  trading  stations  are  now  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
The  fur  companies  from  the  Pacific,  east  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  are  now 
occupied — exclusive  of  private  combinations  and  individual  trappers  and 
traders — by  the  Russians,  on  the  northwest,  from  Bhering's  Straits  to  Queen 
Charlotte's  Island,  in  north  lat.  50  deg.;  and  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
thence,  south  of  the  Columbia  River,  while  American  companies  take  the 
remainder  of  the  region  down  to  California.  Indeed,  the  mountains  and  the 
forests  of  the  far  West,  from  the  Arctic  Sea  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  are 
threaded  through  every  maze  by  the  hunter  and  trapper. 

The  prosecution  of  the  fur  trade  by  citizens  of  the  United  States  is  of  com- 
paratively recent  date.  The  prominent  rendezvous  for  American  fur  traders 
has  been  St.  Louis.  Even  before  the  commencement  of  the  present  century, 
over  $200,000  worth  of  furs  were  collected  there  annually,  St.  Louis  then 
forming  a  part  of  the  Spanish  Territory  of  Louisiana.  In  1808  the  Missouri 
Fur  Company  was  organized  there,  and  its  hunters  were  the  first  who  entered 
Oregon.  The  operations  of  that  company  were  suspended  by  the  war  of  1812. 
One  of  the  most  noted  companies  has  been  that  of  Gen.  Wm.  H.  Ashley. 
The  spirit,  enterprise  and  hardihood  of  Ashley,  have  been  the  themes  of  the 
highest  eulogy,  and  his  adventures  and  exploits  would  furnish  a  volume  of 
thrilling  interest.  He  fitted  out  his  first  expedition  to  the  western  waters  in 
1823.  He  first  discovered  the  South  Pass  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  great 
highway  to  Oregon  and  California ;  and,  in  1824,  extended  his  explorations 
and  trade  to  the  Great  Salt  Lake  of  Utah. 

The  fur  trade  must  henceforth  decline  in  North  America,  as  the  animals  are 
rapidly  decreasing  before  the  hunter  and  the  appropriation  to  the  uses  of  civi- 
lization of  the  forests  and  rivers  which  have  afforded  them  protection. 


LEWIS  WHETZEL,  THE  INDIAN  HUNTER. 

AMONG  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  region  of  Wheeling  was  a  family  of 
the  name  of  Whetzel,  the  head  of  whom  was  of  German  origin.  Although 
it  was  the  hottest  time  of  the  Indian  war,  the  old  man  was  so  rash  as  to  build 
a  cabin  some  distance  from  the  fort,  and  moved  his  family  into  it.  Dearly 
did  he  pay  for  his  temerity. 

»  The  Pawnees  of  the  plains  construct  circular  lodges  of  about  60  feet  in  diameter,  with  conical 
roofs.  They  aro  made  of  light  poles,  and  are  covered  over  with  sods. 


INDIAN  LODGES   AND   LAKE  OF   THE   -WOODS. 

"Two  different  kind  of  Lodges  are  used  by  the  Indiana  of  the  Northwest, 
the  Conical  Buffalo-Skin  Lodge,  and  the  Oblong  Birch  Bark  Lodge," 


145 


. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  147 

His  family  consisted,  beside  himself  and  wife,  of  four  sons — Martin,  Lewis, 
Jacob  and  John, — respectively  fifteen,  thirteen,  eleven  and  nine  years  of  age. 
One  day  during  the  temporary  absence  of  Martin,  the  oldest,  and  John,  the 
youngest  of  the  boys,  the  Indians  made  an  attack  upon  the  house,  killed  the  old 
man,  and  carried  off  Lewis  and  Jacob  captive.  Mrs.  Whetzel,  in  the  con- 
fusion of  the  scene,  escaped. 

In  the  attack  on  their  house,  Lewis  received  a  slight  wound  from  a  bullet, 
which  carried  away  a  small  piece  of  the  breast  bone.  The  second  night 
after  the  capture,  the  Indians  encamped  at  the  Biglick,  twenty  miles  from  the 
river,  in  what  is  now  Ohio,  and  upon  the  waters  of  McMahon's  Creek.  The 
extreme  youth  of  the  boys  induced  the  savages  to  neglect  their  usual  precau- 
tions, of  tying  their  prisoners  at  night.  After  the  Indians  had  fallen  asleep, 
Lewis  whispered  to  his  brother  to  get  up,  and  they  would  make  their  way 
home.  The}'  started,  and  after  going  a  few  hundred  yards,  sat  down  on  a  log. 
"  Well,"  said  Lewis,  "  we  can't  go  home  barefooted.  You  stay  here,  and  I 
will  go  back  and  get  a  pair  of  moccasins  for  each  of  us."  He  did  so,  and 
returned.  After  sitting  a  little  longer,  he  said;  "Now,  I  will  go  back 
and  get  one  of  their  guns,  and  we  will  then  start."  This  was  accordingly 
done.  Young  as  they  were,  the  boys  were  sufficiently  expert  with  tracking 
paths  in  the  woods  to  trace  their  course  home,  the  moon  enabling  them,  by 
her  occasional  glimpses,  to  find  the  trail  which  they  had  followed  from  the 
river.  The  Indians  soon  discovered  their  escape,  and  were  heard  by  them 
hard  on  their  heels.  When  the  party  in  pursuit  had  almost  overtaken  them, 
they  stepped  aside  in  the  bushes  and  let  them  pass,  then  fell  into  the  rear  and 
traveled  on.  On  the  return  of  their  pursuers  they  did  the  same.  They  were 
then  followed  by  two  Indians  on  horseback,  whom  they  evaded  in  the  same  man- 
ner. The  next  day  they  reached  Wheeling  in  safety,  crossing  the  river  on 
a  raft  of  their  own  making;  Lewis,  by  this  time,  being  nearly  exhausted  by  his 
wound. 

As  the  Whetzels  grew  up  to  be  men — and  the  frontier  boys,  whenever  large 
enough  to  handle  a  rifle,  considered  themselves  as  such — they  took  a  solemn 
oath  never  to  make  peace  with  the  Indians  while  they  had  strength  to  wield 
a  tomahawk  or  sight  to  draw  a  bead.  They  esteemed  revenge  for  the  death 
of  their  father  as  the  most  precious  and  sacred  portion  of  their  inheritance. 

Fully  did  they  glut  their  vengeance.  It  was  estimated  that  the  four  brothers, 
in  the  course  of  this  long  Indian  war,  took  near  one  hundred  scalps.  War  was 
the  business  of  their  lives.  They  would  prowl  through  the  Indian  country 
singly,  suffer  all  the  fatigues  of  hasty  marches  in  bad  weather,  or  starvation, 
lying  in  close  concealment  watching  for  a  favorable  opportunity  to  inflict 
death  on  the  devoted  victims  who  were  so  unfortunate  as  to  come  within  their 
grasp.  Notwithstanding  their  numberless  exploits,  they  were  no  braggadocios. 
In  truth,  when  they  had  killed  an  Indian  they  thougnt  no  more  of  it  than  a 
butcher  would  after  killing  a  bullock.  It  was  their  trade. 

Lewis  Whetzel  was  perhaps  the  most  indefatigable  Indian  hunter  on  the 
frontiers.  During  the  wars,  it  is  said  that,  disguised  as  an  Indian,  he  killed 
in  the  region  of  the  upper  Ohio  alone,  27  of  the  enemy,  beside  a  number  more 
on  the  Kentucky  frontier.  His  person  was  in  keeping  with  his  character. 
He  was  about  five  feet  nine  inches  in  height,  very  broad  shouldered  and  full 
breasted.  His  complexion  was  dark  and  swarthy  as  an  Indian's,  and  his  face 
pitted  with  the  small  pox.  His  hair,  of  which  he  was  very  careful,  reached, 
when  combed  out,  to  the  calves  of  his  legs ;  his  eyes  were  remarkably  black, 
and,  when  excited — which  was  easily  done — they  would  sparkle  with  such  a 
vindictive  glance  as  almost  to  curdle  the  blood  of  the  beholder.  He  was  a 
true  friend,  but  a  dangerous  enemy.  In  mixed  company,  he  was  a  man  of 


148  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

few  words,  but,  with  his  friends,  a  social  and  cheerful  companion.  Such  was 
Lewis  Whetzel,  of  whom  we  relate  but  a  few  anecdotes  of  his  numberless 
adventures  while  pursuing  his  trade  of  blood. 

About  the  year  1787,  a  party  of  Indians  having  committed  some  murders 
a  few  miles  above  Wheeling,  some  twenty  men  under  Major  M'Mahon, 
crossed  the  Ohio  and  followed  their  trail  until  they  came  to  the  Muskingum. 
The  spies  in  advance  then  discovered  the  enemy  to  be  vastly  their  superior ; 
a  council  was  called,  and  it  was  determined  most  prudent  to  retreat.  Lewis 
Whetzel,  who  was  present,  took  no  part  in  the  council,  but,  in  the  meanwhile, 
sat  on  a  log  with  his  rifle  laid  across  his  lap,  and  his  tomahawk  in  his  hand. 
As  the  party  set  off  on  the  retreat,  Lewis  stirred  not  from  his  seat.  Major 
M'Mahon  called  to  him,  and  inquired  if  he  was  going  with  them.  Lewis 
answered,  "that  he  was  not;  that  he  came  out  to  hunt  Indians;  they  were 
now  found,  and  he  was  not  going  home  like  a  fool  with  his  finger  in  his 
mouth.  He  would  take  an  Indian  scalp,  or  lose  his  own  before  he  went  home." 
All  their  arguments  were  without  avail.  His  stubborn,  unyielding  disposition 
was  such,  that  he  never  submitted  himself  to  the  control  or  advice  of  others ; 
they  were  compelled  to  leave  him,  a  solitary  being  in  the  midst  of  the  thick 
forest,  surrounded  by  vigilant  enemies.  Notwithstanding  that  this  solitary 
individual  appeared  to  rush  into  danger  with  the  fury  of  a  madman,  yet  in  his 
disposition  was  displayed  the  cunning  of  a  fox,  as  well  as  the  boldness  of 
the  lion. 

As  §oon  as  his  friends  had  left  him,  he  picked  up  his  blanket,  shouldered 
his  rifle,  and  struck  off  into  a  different  part  of  the  country,  in  hope  that  for- 
tune would  place  in  his  way  some  lone  Indian.  He  kept  aloof  from  the  large 
streams,  where  large  parties  of  the  enemy  generally  camped.  He  prowled 
through  the  woods  with  a  noiseless  tread  and  the  keen  glance  of  the  eagle, 
that  day,  and  the  next  until  evening,  when  he  discovered  a  smoke  curling  up 
among  the  bushes.  He  crept  softly  to  the  fire,  and  found  two  blankets  and  a 
small  copper  kettle  in  the  camp.  He  instantly  concluded  that  this  was  the 
camp  of  only  two  Indians,  and  that  he  could  kill  them  both.  He  concealed 
-himself  in  the  thick  brush,  but  in  such  a  position  that  he  could  see  the  number 
and  motions  of  tL<  enemy.  About  sunset,  one  of  the  Indians  came  in,  made 
up  the  fire,  an;'  went  to  cooking  his  supper.  Shortly  after,  the  other  came 
in ;  they  ate  ineir  supper ;  after  which  they  began  to  sing,  and  amuse  them- 
selves by  telling  comic  stories,  at  which  they  would  burst  into  a  roar  of 
laughter.  Singing  and  telling  amusing  stories,  was  the  common  practice  of 
the  white  and  red  men  when  lying  in  their  hunting  camps.  These  poor  fel- 
lows, when  enjoying  themselves  in  the  utmost  glee,  little  dreamed  that  the 
grim  monster,  Death,  in  the  shape  of  Lewis  Whetzel,  was  about  stealing  a 
march  upon  them.  Lewis  kept  a  keen  watch  on  their  maneuvers. 

About  nine  or  ten  o'clock  at  night,  one  of  the  Indians  wrapped  his  blanket 
around  him,  shouldered  his  rifle,  took  a  chunk  of  fire  in  his  hand,  and  left 
the  camp,  doubtless  with  the  intention  of  going  to  watch  a  deer-lick.  The 
fire  and  smoke  would  serve  to  keep  off  the  gnats  and  musquitoes.  It  is  a  re- 
markable fact,  that  deer  are  not  alarmed  at  seeing  fire,  from  the  circumstance 
of  seeing  it  so  frequently  in  the  fall  and  winter  seasons,  when  the  leaves  and 
grass  are  dry,  and  the  woods  on  fire.  The  absence  of  the  Indian  was  the 
cause  of  vexation  and  disappointment  to  our  hero,  whose  trap  was  so  happily 
set,  that  he  considered  his  game  secure.  He  still  indulged  the  hope,  that  the 
Indian  might  return  to  camp  before  day.  In  this  he  was  disappointed 
There  were  birds  in  the  woods  who  chirped  and  chattered  just  before  break 
of  day ;  and  like  the  cock,  gave  notice  to  the  woodsman  that  day  would  soon 
appear.  Lewis  heard  the  wooded  songster  begin  to  chatter,  and  determined 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  149 

to  delay  no  longer  the  work  of  death  for  the  return  of  the  Indian.  He  walked 
to  the  camp  with  a  noiseless  step,  and  found  his  victim  buried  in  profound 
sleep,  laying  upon  his  side.  He  drew  his  butcher-knife,  and  with  all  his 
force,  impelled  by  revenge,  he  sent  the  blade  through  his  heart.  He  said  the 
Indian  gave  a  short  quiver,  and  a  convulsive  motion,  and  laid  still  in  death's 
eternal  sleep.  He  then  scalped  him,  and  set  off  for  home.  He  arrived  at  the 
Mingo  Bottom  only  one  day  after  his  unsuccessful  companions. 

One  more  of  Lewis  Whetzel's  tragedies,  and  we  are  done.  He  set  off 
alone  (as  was  frequently  his  custom)  on  an  Indian  hunt.  It  was  late  in  the 
fall  of  the  year,  when  the  Indians  were  generally  scattered  in  small  parties 
on  their  hunting-grounds.  He  proceeded  somewhere  on  the  waters  of  the 
Muskingum  River,  and  found  a  camp  where  four  Indians  had  fixed  their  quar- 
ters for  a  winter  hunt.  The  Indians,  unsuspicious  of  any  enemies  prowling 
about  them  so  late  in  the  season,  were  completely  off  their  guard,  keeping 
neither  watch  nor  sentinels.  Whetzel  at  first  hesitated  about  the  propriety 
of  attacking  such  overwhelming  numbers.  After  some  reflection,  he  con- 
cluded to  trust  to  his  usual  good  fortune,  and  began  to  meditate  upon  his  plan 
of  attack.  He  concluded  their  first  sleep  would  be  the  fittest  time  for  him  to 
commence  the  work  of  death.  About  midnight,  he  thought  their  senses 
would  be  the  most  profoundly  wrapped  in  sleep.  He  determined  to  walk  to 
the  camp,  with  his  rifle  in  one  hand,  and  his  tomahawk  in  the  other.  If  any 
of  them  should  happen  to  be  awake,  he  could  shoot  one,  and  then  run  off  in 
the  darkness  of  the  night,  and  make  his  escape;  should  they  be  all  asleep,  he 
would  make  the  onset  with  his  trusty  scalping-knife  and  tomahawk.  Now, 
reader,  imagine  that  you  see  him  gliding  through  the  darkness,  with  the  si- 
lent, noiseless  motion  of  an  unearthly  demon,  seeking  mischief,  and  the  keen 
glance  of  the  fabled  Argus,  and  then  you  can  imagine  to  your  mind  Whetzel's 
silent  and  stealthy  approach  upon  his  sleeping  enemies.  On  he  went  to  the 
camp,  the  fire  burning  dimly,  but  affording  sufficient  light  to  distinguish  the 
forms  of  his  sleeping  victims.  With  calm  intrepidity  he  stood  a  moment,  re- 
flecting on  the  best  plan  to  make  the  desperate  assault.  He  set  his  rifle 
against  a  tree,  determined  to  use  only  his  knife  and  tomahawk ;  as  these  would' 
not  miss  their  aim,  if  properly  handled  with  a  well  strung  arm.  What  a- 
thrilling,  horrible  sight!  See  him  leaning  forward,  with  cool  self-possession,, 
and  eager  vengeance,  as  if  he  had  been  the  minister  of  death ;  he  stands  a- 
moment,  then  wielding  his  tomahawk,  with  the  first  blow  leaves  one  of  then* 
in  death's  eternal  sleep.  As  quick  as  lightning,  and  with  tremendous  yells* 
he  applies  the  tomahawk  to  the  second  Indian's  head,  and  sent  his  soul  to 
the  land  of  spirits.  As  the  third  was  rising,  confounded  and  confused  with- 
the  unexpected  attack,  at  two  blows  he  fell  lifeless  to  the  ground.  The  fourth 
darted  off,  naked  as  he  was,  to  the  woods.  Whetzel  pursued  him  some  dis- 
tance, but  finally  he  made  his  escape. 


MARSHALL'S  PILLAR. 

THE  Kanawha  River  of  Western  Virginia  is  noted  for  its  wild  and  romantic 
scenery.  Upon  its  upper  course,  the  country  is  very  thinly  settled,  and  the 
lofty  wood-crowned  mountains  and  deep  rocky  valleys  of  that  solitary  region^ 
stand  forth  in  all  the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  untamed  Nature. 

Upon  New  River,  one  of  its  main  sources,  about  eighty  miles  from  where 
the  waters  of  the  Kanawha  unite  and  mingle  with  the  Ohio,  is  a  lofty  cliff 
of  rocks  of  a  thousand  feet  in  height,  known  as  the  "  Hawk's  Nest,"  or 
"Marshall's  Pillar,"  (Eng.  p.  161.)  Standing  upon  the  verge  of  this  preci- 

It? 

I 


150  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

pice,  the  river  diminishes  by  distance  in  the  deep  valley  below  to  a  silvery 
thread  between  two  borders  of  green,  appears  to  wash  the  base  of  the  cliff; 
yet  it  requires  a  powerful  arm  to  cast  a  stone  into  its  waters.  The  sublime 
and  elevating  emotions  which  this  scene  is  calculated  to  inspire,  are  given  in 
the  following  chaste  and  beautiful  language  of  a  traveler: 

We  returned  to  the  inn.  I  had  an  hour  and  a  half  of  rest ;  and  was  found 
with  my  companions  on  the  way,  soon  after  3  o'clock.  Most  of  the  company 
showed  that  they  had  only  been  awakened,  like  a  child,  to  be  put  in  a  new 
position,  and  their  heads  were  nodding  about  in  all  directions.  About  seven 
o'clock,  however,  we  approached  a  spot  which  is  of  great  reputed  beauty,  and 
we  pledged  the  coachman  to  stop,  that  we  might  have  a  fair  sight  of  it.  You 
leave  the  road  by  a  little  by-path,  and  after  pursuing  it  for  a  short  distance, 
the  whole  scene  suddenly  breaks  upon  you.  But  how  shall  I  describe  it? 
The  great  charm  of  the  whole  is  greatly  connected  with  the  point  of  sight, 
which  is  the  finest  imaginable.  You  come  suddenly  to  a  spot  which  is  called 
the  Hawk's  Nest.  It  projects  on  the  scene,  and  is  so  small  as  to  give  stand- 
ing to  only  some  half  dozen  persons.  It  has  on  its  head  an  oid  picturesque 
pine  ;  and  it  breaks  away  at  your  feet  abruptly  and  in  perpendicular  lines,  to 
a  depth  of  more  than  a  thousand  feet.  On  this  standing,  which,  by  its  ele- 
vated and  detached  character,  affects  you  like  the  Monument,  the  forest  rises 
above  and  around  you.  Beneath  and  before  you  is  spread  a  lovely  valley. 
A  peaceful  river  glides  down  it,  reflecting,  like  a  mirror,  all  the  lights  of 
heaven — washes  the  foot  of  the  rocks  on  which  you  are  standing — and  then 

Inds  away  into  another  valley  at  your  right.  The  trees  of  the  wood,  in  all 
their  variety,  stand  out  on  the  verdant  bottoms,  with  their  heads  in  the  sun, 
and  casting  their  shadows  at  their  feet ;  but  so  diminished,  as  to  look  more 
like  the  pictures  of  the  things  than  the  things  themselves.  The  green  hills 
rise  on  either  hand  and  all  around,  and  give  completeness  and  beauty  to  the 
scene  ;  and  beyond  these  appears  the  gray  outline  of  the  more  distant  moun- 
tains, bestowing  grandeur  to  what  was  supremely  beautiful.  It  is  exquisite. 
It  conveys  to  you  the  idea  of  perfect  solitude.  The  hand  of  man,  the  foot  of 
man,  seem  never  to  have  touched  that  valley.  To  you,  though  placed  in  the 
midst  of  it,  it  seems  altogether  inaccessible.  You  long  to  stroll  along  the 
margin  of  those  sweet  waters,  and  repose  under  the  shadows  of  those  beauti- 
ful trees ;  but  it  looks  impossible.  It  is  solitude,  but  of  a  most  soothing,  not 
of  an  appalling  character — where  sorrow  might  learn  to  forget  her  griefs,  and 
folly  begin  to  be  wise  and  happy. 


HEROISM  OF  THE  PIONEER  WOMEN. 

THE  eariy  annals  of  the  western  country  abound  in  anecdotes  illustrating  for- 
titude under  suffering,  and  heroism  in  circumstances  of  peril  among  the  wives  and 
mothers  of  the  early  pioneers.  Their  nerves  became  strengthened  by  the  trials 
which  they  were  obliged  to  undergo,  and  their  minds  inured  to  danger  by  their 
constant  peril  from  a  savage  enemy.  Many  were  the  instances  in  which, 
when  their  cabins  were  attacked  by  the  savages,  they  displayed  a  wonderful 
courage  and  presence  of  mind.  Had  the  places  of  the  4000  Mexicans  who, 
at  the  battle  of  Sncnmento,  were  defeated  by  the  Missouri  Regiment,  of  856 
men,  under  Doniphan,  bf-i-n  occupied  by  a  tithe  of  their  number  of  such  females, 
that  victory  would  not  have  been  effected  with  so  small  a  loss  to  the  conquer- 
ors as  one  killed,  one  mortally  and  seven  slightly  wounded;  nor  would  many 
of  the  other  battles  of  that  war,  which  covered  our  arms  "with  glory," 
have  been  so  easily  won  had  the  enemy  been  animated  by  the  spirit  and 


- 


THE   HAWK'S   NEST   OR   MARSHALL'S   PILLAR. 
•The  Kanawha  River,  of  "Western  Virginia,  is  noted  for  its  wild  and  rornan- 


frotn 


where  the  waters  of  the  Kanawha  unite  and  mingle  with  the  Ohio,  is  a  lofty 
cliff  of  rocks  of  a  thousand  feet  in  height,  known  as  the  Hawk's  Nest  or  Mar- 
shall's Pillar." 


151 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  153 

courage  of  the  strong  armed  and  strong  nerved  pioneer  women  of  the 
West.  Among  the  many  incidents  illustrative  of  this  subject  we  subjoin  the 
following. 

Sometime  in  the  year  1785  or  '6,  Mrs.  Woods,  a  young  married  female 
who  lived  near  the  Crab  Orchard  settlement  in  Kentucky,  happening  early 
one  morning,  on  the  absence  of  her  husband,  to  be  in  a  field  near  her  cabin, 
discovered  a  party  of  Indians  making  toward  it.  She  ran,  and  reached  it 
before  all  but  one,  who  was  so  far  ahead  of  the  others  that  before  she  could  close 
and  fasten  the  door  he  entered.  Instantly  he  was  seized  by  a  lame  negro 
man  of  the  family,  and  in  the  scuffle  the  negro  fell  underneath,  upon  which 
Mrs.  Woods  seized  an  ax  which  was  under  the  bed  and  dispatched  the 
Indian.  The  other  Indians,  who,  in  the  meantime,  were  endeavoring  to 
break  open  the  door  with  their  tomahawks,  were  soon  driven  off  by  a  party 
of  men  coming  to  the  rescue. 

Early  one  morning,  in  August  of  1782,  Samuel  Daviess,'  a  settler  at  Gilmer's 
Lick,  Kentucky,  having  stepped  a  few  paces  from  his  cabin,  was  suddenly 
surprised  by  an  Indian  appearing  between  him  and  the  door  with  an  uplifted 
tomahawk,  almost  within  striking  distance ;  and,  in  a  moment  after,  he 
perceived  that  four  other  Indians  had  just  entered  his  dwelling.  Being  entirely 
unarmed,  he  made  for  an  adjacent  corn  field,  closely  pursued  by  the  first 
Indian.  He,  however,  eluded  the  savage,  and  ran  with  the  utmost  speed  to 
the  nearest  station,  five  miles  distant,  and  raised  a  party  to  pursue  the  enemy, 
whom  it  was  ascertained,  on  visiting  the  cabin,  had  taken  off  the  whole  family 
captive.  They  followed  in  their  trail,  and,  by  nine  o'clock  in  the  forenoon, 
had  rescued  the  whole  family,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  life.  Mrs.  Daviess 
Uien  related  the  following  account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Indians  had 
acted. 

A  few  minutes  after  her  husband  had  opened  the  door  and  stepped  out  of 
the  house,  four  Indians  rushed  in,  while  the  fifth,  as  she  afterward  found  out, 
was  in  pursuit  of  her  husband.  Herself  and  children  were  in  bed  when  the 
Indians  entered  the  house.  One  of  the  Indians  immediately  made  signs,  by 
which  she  understood  him  to  inquire  how  far  it  was  to  the  next  house.  With 
an  unusual  presence  of  mind,  knowing  how  important  it  would  be  to  make  the 
distance  as  far  as  possible,  she  raised  both  her  hands,  first  counting  the  fingers 
of  one,  then  of  the  other — making  a  distance  of  eight  miles.  The  Indian  then 
signed  to  her  that  she  must  rise :  she  immediately  got  up,  and  as  soon  as  she 
could  dress  herself,  commenced  showing  the  Indians  one  article  of  clothing 
after  another,  which  pleased  them  very  much  ;  and  in  that  way,  delayed  them 
at  the  house  nearly  two  hours.  In  the  meantime,  the  Indian  who  had  been 
in  pursuit  of  her  husband  returned  with  his  hands  stained  with  poke-berries, 
which  he  held  up,  and  with  some  violent  gestures,  and  waving  of  his  toma- 
hawk, attempted  to  induce  the  belief,  that  the  stain  on  his  hands  was  the 
blood  of  her  husband,  and  that  he  had  killed  him.  She  was  enabled  at  once 
to  discover  the  deception,  and  instead  of  producing  any  alarm  on  her  part,  she 
was  satisfied  that  her  husband  had  escaped  uninjured.  After  the  savages  had 
plundered  the  house  of  everything  that  they  could  conveniently  carry  off  with 
them,  they  started,  taking  Mrs.  Daviess  and  her  children,  seven  in  number, 
as  prisoners  along  with  them.  Some  of  the  children  were  too  young  to  travel 
as  fast  as  the  Indians  wished,  and  discovering,  as  she  believed,  their  intention 
to  kill  such  of  them  as  could  not  conveniently  travel,  she  made  the  two  oldest 
boys  carry  them  on  their  backs. 

The  annexed  anecdote  further  illustrates  her  heroic  character. 

Mrs.  Daviess  was  a  woman  of  cool,  deliberate  courage,  and  accustomed  to 
handle  the  gun  so  that  she  could  shoot  well,  as  many  of  the  women  were  in 


154  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

the  habit  of  doing  in  those  days.  She  had  contemplated,  as  a  last  resort, 
that  if  not  rescued  in  the  course  of  the  day,  when  night  came  and  the  In- 
dians had  fallen  asleep,  she  would  rescue  herself  and  children  by  killing  a? 
many  of  the  Indians  as  she  could — thinking  that,  in  a  night  attack,  as  many 
of  them  as  remained  would  most  probably  run  off.  Such  an  attempt  would 
now  seem  a  species  of  madness;  but  to  those  who  were  acquainted  with 
Mrs.  Daviess,  little  doubt  was  entertained  that,  if  the  attempt  had  been  made, 
it  would  have  proved  successful. 

Kentucky,  in  its  early  days,  like  most  new  countries,  was  occasionally  troubled 
with  men  of  abandoned  character,  who  lived  by  stealing  the  property  of  others, 
and,  after  committing  their  depredations,  retired  to  their  hiding-places,  thereby 
eluding  the  operation  of  the  law.  One  of  these  marauders,  a  man  of  desperate 
character,  who  had  committed  extensive  thefts  from  Mr.  Daviess,  as  well  as 
from  his  neighbors,  was  pursued  by  Daviess  and  a  party  whose  property  he 
had  taken,  in  order  to  bring  him  to  justice.  While  the  party  were  in  pursuit, 
the  suspected  individual,  not  knowing  any  one  was  pursuing  him.  came  to  the 
house  of  Daviess,  armed  with  his  gun  and  tomahawk — no  person  being  al 
home  but  Mrs.  Daviess  and  her  children.  After  he  had  stepped  into  the  house, 
Mrs.  Daviess  asked  him  if  he  would  drink  something,  and,  having  set  a  bottle 
of  whisky  on  the  table,  requested  him  to  help  himself.  The  fellow,  not 
suspecting  any  danger,  set  his  gun  up  by  the  door,  and  while  drinking,  Mrs. 
Daviess  picked  up  his  gun,  and  placing  herself  in  the  door,  bad  the  gun  cocked 
and  leveled  upon  him  by  the  time  he  turned  round,  and  in  a  peremptory  man- 
ner ordered  him  to  take  a  seat  or  she  would  shoot  him.  Struck  with  terror 
and  alarm,  he  asked  what  he  had  done.  She  told  him  he  had  stolen  her 
husband's  property,  and  that  she  intended  to  take  care  of  him  herself.  In 
that  condition  she  held  him  a  prisoner,  until  the  party  of  men  returned  and 
took  him  into  their  possession. 

In  the  year  1786,  about  twenty  young  persons  of  both  sexes  were  in  a  field 
pulling  flax,  in  the  vicinity  of  a  fort  on  Green  River,  Kentucky,  when  they 
were  tired  on  by  a  party  of  Indians  in  ambush.  They  instantly  retreated  to- 
ward the  fort,  hotly  pursued  by  the  savages.  Among  them  were  two  married 
women  who  had  gone  out  to  make  them  a  visit,  one  of  whom  had  taken  with 
her  a  young  child  about  eighteen  months  old.  The  older  of  the  two  mothers, 
recollecting  in  her  flight  that  the  younger,  a  small  and  feeble  woman,  was 
burdened  with  her  child,  turned  back  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  they  firing  and 
yelling  hideously,  took  the  child  from  its  mother,  and  ran  with  it  to  the  fort, 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  During  the  chase  she  was  twice  shot  at 
with  rifles,  when  the  enemy  was  so  near  that  the  powder  burned  her,  and  one 
arrow  passed  through  her  sleeve,  but  she  escaped  uninjured. 

On  the  24th  December,  1791,  a  small  party  of  Indians  attacked  the  dwelling- 
house  of  Mr.  John  Merrill,  in  Nelson  County,  Kentucky.  Mr.  Merrill,  who 
was  first  alarmed  by  the  barking  of  his  dog,  opened  the  door  to  discover  the 
cause,  when  he  received  the  fire  of  seven  or  eight  Indians,  by  which  his  leg  and 
arm  were  broken.  The  Indians  then  attempted  to  enter  the  house,  but \vere 
prevented  by  the  door  being  closed  by  Mrs.  Merrill  and  her  daughter.  The 
Indians  h.iving  succeeded  in  hewing  away  a  part  of  the  door,  one  of  them 
attempted  to  enter,  but  the  heroic  mother,  in  the  midst  of  her  screaming  child- 
ren and  groaning  husband,  seized  an  ax  and  gave  the  savage  a  fatal  blow, 
after  which  she  hauled  him  through  the  passage  into  the  house.  The  others, 
unconscious  of  the  fate  of  their  companion,  and  supposing  that  they  had  now 
nearly  succeeded  in  their  object,  rushed  forward,  tour  of  whom  Mrs.  Merrill 
in  like  manner  dispatched  before  the  others  discovered  their  mistake. 

The  remaining  Indians,  after  retiring  a  few  moments,  returned  and  renewed 


HEROISM  OF  A  PIONEER  WOMAN. 

"  In  the  meantime  his  heroic  wife  was  busily  engaged  in  defending 
he  door  against  the  efforts  of  the  only  remaining  Indian,  whom  she 
so  severely  wounded,  with  the  ax,  that  he  was  soon  glad  to  retire." 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  167 

their  efforts  to  enter  the  house.  Despairing  of  succeeding  at  the  door,  they 
attempted  to  descend  the  chimney,  upon  which  Mr.  Merrill  directed  his  little 
son  to  empty  the  contents  of  a  feather  bed  upon  the  fire.  The  smoke  and  heat 
suddenly  brought  down  two  of  the  enemy.  Mr.  Merrill,  at  this  critical  mo- 
ment, exerting  every  faculty,  seized  a  billet  of  wood  and  dispatched  the  two 
half-smothered  Indians.  In  the  meantime,  his  heroic  wife  was  busily 
engaged  in  defending  the  door  against  the  efforts  of  the  only  remaining  savage, 
whom  she  so  severely  wounded  with  the  ax  that  he  was  soon  glad  to  retire. 

A  prisoner,  who  escaped  from  the  enemy  soon  after  the  transaction,  stated 
that  the  wounded  savage  was  the  only  one  that  escaped  of  his  party,  which 
consisted  of  eight;  that  on  his  return,  being  asked  by  the  prisoner  "what 
news?"  he  answered,  "bad  news  for  poor  Indian;  me  lose  a  son,  me  lose  a 
broder ;  the  squaws  have  taken  the  breech  clout,  and  fight  worse  than  the 
"Long  Knives." 

Even  children,  in  the  early  settlement  of  the  West,  not  unfrequently  per- 
formed acts  of  heroism  when  brought  in  collision  with  the  savages.  Among 
the  anecdotes  on  this  point  often  related  is  that  of  the  two  Johnson  boys, 
who,  in  the  fall  of  1788,  killed  two  Indians  near  the  site  of  Steubeaville* 
The  younger  of  these,  Henry,  is,  or  was  lately,  residing  in  Monroe  County, 
Ohio,  where  we  made  his  acquaintance  in  the  spring  of  1846.  We  found 
him  a  fine  specimen  of  the  fast  vanishing  race  ot  Indian  hunters — tall,  and 
erect  with  the  bearing  of  a  genuine  backwoodsman. 

These  two  little  fellows,  the  one  nine  and  the  other  twelve  years  of  age, 
were  surprised  and  taken  captive  in  the  woods  by  two  Indians,  disguised  in 
the  dress  of  white  men.  At  night,  when  the  Indians  were  asleep,  one  took 
a  rifle  and  the  other  a  tomahawk  and  simultaneously  killed  their  captors,  and 
then  escaped  to  their  homes. 


THE  INDIAN 

As  connected  with  the  history  of  the  Indian  wars  of  the  Western  country, 
it  may  not  be  amiss  to  give  an  explanation  of  the  term  "  Indian  Summer." 

This  expression,  like  many  others,  has  continued  in  general  use,  notwith- 
standing its  original  import  has  been  forgotten.  A  backwoodsman  seldom 
hears  this  expression,  without  feeling  a  chill  of  horror,  because  it  brings  to 
his  mind  the  painful  recollection  of  its  original  application.  Such  is  the 
force  of  the  faculty  of  association  in  human  nature. 

The  reader  must  here  be  remiried,  that,  during  the  long-continued  Indian 
wars,  sustained  by  the  first  settlers  of  the  western  country,  they  enjoyed  no 
peace  excepting  in  the  winter  season,  when,  owing  to  the  severity  of  the 
weather,  the  Indians  were  unable  to  make  their  excursions  into  the  settlements 
The  onset  of  winter  was  therefore  hailed  as  a  jubilee,  by  the  early  inhabit- 
ants of  the  country,  who  throughout  the  spring,  and  the  early  part  of  the  fall, 
had  been  cooped  up  in  their  little  uncomfortable  forts,  and  subjected  to  all  the 
distresses  of  the  Indian  war. 

At  the  approach  of  winter,  therefore,  all  the  farmers,  excepting  the  owner 
of  the  fort,  removed  to  their  cabins  on  their  farms,  with  the  joyful  feelings  of 
a  tenant  of  a  prison,  on  recovering  his  release  from  confinement.  All  was 
bustle  and  hilarity,  in  preparing  for  winter,  by  gathering  in  the  corn,  digging 
potatoes,  fattening  hogs,  and  repairing  the  cabins.  To  our  forefathers,  the 
gloomy  months  of  winter  were  more  pleasant  than  the  zephyrs  of  spring,  and 
the  flowers  of  May. 

It,  howei  er,  sometimes  happened,  that  after  the  apparent  onset  of  winter, 


158  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

the  weather  became  warm;  the  smoky  time  commenced,  and  lasted  for  a  con- 
siderable  number  of  days.  This  was  the  Indian  summer,  because  it  afforded 
the  Indians  another  opportunity  of  visiting  the  settlements  with  their  destruc- 
tive warfare.  The  melting  of  the  snow  saddened  every  countenance,  and  the 
general  warmth  of  the  sun  chilled  every  heart  with  horror.  The  apprehen- 
sion of  another  visit  from  the  Indians,  and  of  being  driven  back  to  the  detested 
fort,  was  painful  in  the  highest  degree,  and  the  distressing  apprehension  was 
frequently  realized. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  February,  we  commonly  had  a  fine  spell  of  open 
warm  weather,  during  which  the  snow  melted  away.  This  was  denominated 
the  "  pawwawing  days'3 — from  the  supposition  that  the  Indians  were  then 
holding  their  war  councils,  for  planing  off  their  spring  campaigns  into  the 
settlements.  Sad  experience  taught  us  that,  in  this  conjecture,  we  were  not 
often  mistaken. 


A  DESPERATE  BOAT  FIGHT. 

IN  May,  1788,  a  flatboat  loaded  with  kettles,  intended  for  the  manufacture 
of  salt  at  Bullitt's  lick,  left  Louisville  with  thirteen  persons,  twelve  armed 
men  and  one  woman,  on  board.  The  boat  and  cargo  were  owned  by  Henry 
Crist  and  Solomon  Spears:  and  the  company  consisted  of  Crist,  Spears,  Chris- 
tian Crepps,  Thomas  Floyd,  Joseph  Boyce,  Evans  Moore,  an  Irishman  named 
Fossett,  and  five  others,  and  a  woman,  whose  name  is  not  preserved.  The 
intention  of  the  party  was  to  descend  the  Ohio,  which  was  then  very  high, 
to  the  mouth  of  Salt  River,  and  then  ascend  the  latter  river,  the  current  of 
which  was  enti  -ely  deadened  by  back  water  from  the  Ohio,  to  a  place  near 
the  licks,  called  Mud  Garrison,  which  was  a  temporary  fortification,  con- 
structed of  two  rows  of  slight  stockades,  and  the  space  between  filled  with 
mud  and  gravel  from  the  bank  of  the  river  hard  by.  The  works  inclosed  a 
space  of  about  half  an  acre,  and  stood  about  midway  between  Bullitt's  lick 
and  the  falls  of  Salt  River,  where  Shepherdsville  now  stands.  These  works 
were  then  occupied  by  the  families  of  the  salt  makers,  and  those  who  hunted 
to  supply  them  with  food,  and  acted  also  as  an  advanced  guard  to  give  notice 
of  the  approach  of  any  considerable  body  of  men. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  the  boat  entered  Salt  River,  and  the  hands  commenced 
working  her  up  with  sweep-oars.  There  was  no  current  one  way  or  th»? 
other — while  in  the  Ohio,  the  great  breadth  of  the  river  sequred  them  against 
any  sudden  attack,  but  when  they  came  into  Salt  River,  they  were  within 
reach  of  the  Indian  rifle  from  either  shore.  It  became  necessary,  therefore, 
to  send  out  scouts,  to  apprise  them  of  any  danger  ahead.  In  the  evening  of 
the  first  day  of  their  ascent  of  the  river,  Crist  and  Floyd  went  ashore  to  re- 
connoiter  the  bank  of  the  river  ahead  of  the  boat.  Late  in  the  evening  they 
discovered  a  fresh  trail,  but  for  want  of  light,  they  could  not  make  out  the 
Dumber  of  Indians.  They  remained  out  all  night,  but  made  no  further  dis- 
coveries. In  the  morning,  as  they  were  returning  down  the  river  toward  the 
boat,  they  heard  a  number  of  guns,  which  they  believed  to  be  Indians  killing 
game  for  breakfast.  They  hastened  back  to  the  boat  and  communicated  what 
they  had  heard  and  seen. 

They  pulled  on  up  the  river  until  eight  o'clock,  and  arrived  at  a  point  eight 
miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Rolling  Fork,  where  they  drew  into  shore  on 
the  north  side  of  the  river,  now  in  Bullitt  County,  intending  to  land  and  cook 
and  eat  their  breakfast.  As  they  drew  into  shore,  they  heard  the  gobbling 
of  turkeys  (as  they  supposed)  on  the  bank  where  they  were  going  to  land,  and 
&s  the  boat  touched,  Fossett  and  another  sprang  ashore,  with  their  guns  »D 


FRONTIER   LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,   ETC.  ]5<j 

(heir  hands,  to  shoot  turkeys.     They  were  cautioned  of  their  danger,  hut  dis- 
regarding the  admonition,  hastily  ascended  the  bank.     Their  companions  in 
the  boat  had  barely  lost  sight  of  them,  when  they  heard  a  volley  of  rifl<-<  dis- 
charged all  at  once  on  the  bank  immediately  above,  succeeded  by  a  yell  of 
savages  so  terrific  as  to  induce  a  belief  thai  the  woods  were  filled  with   In- 
dians.    This  attack,  so  sudden  and  violent,  took  the  boat's  company  by  sur- 
prise; and  they  had  barely  time  to  seize  their  rifles  and  place  themselves  in  a 
posture  of  defense,  when  Fossett  and  his  companion  came  dashing  down  the 
bank,  hotly  pursued  by  a  large  body  of  Indians.     Crist  stood  in  the  bow  of 
the  boat,  with  his  rifle  in  his  hand.     At  the  first  sight  of  the  enemy,  he 
brought  his  gun  to  his  i'ace,  but  instantly  perceived  that  the  object  of  his  aim 
was  a  white  man,  and  a  sudden  thought  flashed  across  his  mind,  that   the 
enemy  was  a  company  of  surveyors  that  he  knew,  to  be  then  in  the  woods,  and 
that  the  attack  was  made  in  sport,  &c.,  let  his  gun  down,  and  at  the  same 
.time  his  white  foeman  sunk  out  of  his  sight  behind  the  bank.     But  the  firing 
had  begun  in  good  earnest  on  both  sides.     Crist  again  brought  his  rifle  to  his 
face,  and  as  he  did  so  the  white  man's  head  was  rising  over  the  bank,  with 
his  gun  also  drawn  up  and  presented.     Crist  got  the  fire  on  him,  and  at  the 
crack  of  his  rifle  the  white  man  fell  forward  dead.     Fossett's  hunting  com- 
panion  plunged  into  the  water,  and  got  in  safely  at  the  bow  of  the  boat.     But 
Fossett's  arm  was  broken  by  the  first  fire  on  the  hill.     The  boat,  owing  to  the 
high  water,  did  not  touch  the  land,  and  he_got  into  the  river  further  toward 
the  stern,  and  swam  round  with  his  gun  in  his  left  hand,  and  was  taken  safely 
into  the  stern.     So  intent  were  the  Indians  on  the  pursuit  of  their  prey,  that 
many  of  them  ran  to  the  water's  edge,  struck^and  shot  at  Fossett  ana  his  com- 
panion while  getting  into  the  boat,  and  some  even  seized  the  boat  and  at- 
tempted to  draw  it  nearer  the  shore.     In  this  attempt  many  of  the  Indians 
perished;   some  were  shot  dead  as  they  approached  the  boat,  others  were 
killed  in  the  river,  and  it  required  the  most  stubborn  resistance  and  determined 
valor  to  keep  them  from  carrying  the  boat  by  assault.     Repulsed  in  their  ef- 
forts to  board  the  boat,  the  savages  withdrew  higher  up  the  bank,  and  taking 
their  stations  behind  trees,  commenced  a  regular  and  galling  fire,  which  was 
returned  with  the  spirit  of  brave  men  rendered  desperate  by  the  certain  know- 
ledge that  no  quarter  would  be  given,  and  that  it  was  an  issue  of  victory  or 
death  to  every  soul  on  board. 

The  boat  had  a  log-chain  for  a  cable,  and  when  she  was  first  brought 
ashore,  the  chain  was  thrown  round  a  small  tree  that  stood  in  the  water's 
edge,  and  the  hook  run  through  one  of  the  links.  This  had  been  done  before 
the  first  fire  was  made  upon  Fossett  on  shore.  The  kettles  in  the  boat  had 
been  ranked  up  along  the  sides,  leaving  an  open  gangway  through  the  middle 
of  the  boat  from  bow  to  stern.  Unfortunately,  the  bow  lay  to  shore,  so  that 
the  guns  of  the  Indians  raked  the  whole  length  of  the  gangway,  and  their  fire 
was  constant  and  destructive.  Spears  and  several  others  of  the  bravest  men, 
had  already  fallen,  some  killed  and  others  mortally  wounded.  From  the  com* 
mencement  of  the  battle,  many  efforts  had  been  made  to  disengage  the  boat 
from  the  shore,  all  of  which  had  failed.  The  hope  was  that,  if  they  could 
once  loose  the  cable,  the  boat  would  drift  out  of  the  reach  of  the  enemy's 
guns;  but  any  attempt  to  do  this  by  hdnd  would  expose  the  person  to  certain 
destruction.  Fossett's  right  arm  was  broken,  and  he  could  no  longer  handle 
his  rifle.  He  got  a  pole,  and  placing  himself  low  down  in  the  bow  of  the 
boat,  commenced  punching  at  the  hook  in  the  chain,  but  the  point  of  the 
"hook  was  turned  from  him,  and  all  his  efforts  seemed  only  to  drive  it  further 
into  the  link.  He  at  length  discovered  where  a  small  limb  had  been  cut  from 
th.-  pole,  and  left  a  knot  about  an  inch  long;  this  knot,  after  a  number  of 


160  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

efforts,  he  placed  against  the  point  of  the  hook,  and,  jerking  the  pole  suddenly 
toward  him,  threw  the  hook  out  of  the  link.  The  chain  fell,  and  the  boat 
drifted  slowly  out  from  the  bank;  and  by  means  of  an  oar  worked  over  head, 
the  boat  was  brought  into  the  middle  of  the  river,  with  her  side  to  the  shore, 
which  protected  them  from  the  fire  of  the  Indians.  The  battle  had  now  lasted 
upward  of  an  hour.  The  odds  against  the  crew  was  at  least  ten  to  one.  The 
fire  had  been  very  destructive  on  both  sides,  and  a  great  many  of  the  Indians 
had  been  killed ;  but  if  the  boat  had  remained  much  longer  at  the  shore,  it 
was  manifest  that  there  would  have  been  none  of  the  crew  left  to  tell  the  tale 
of  their  disaster. 

The  survivors  had  now  time  to  look  round  upon  the  havoc  that  had  been 
made  of  their  little  band.  Five  of  their  companions  lay  dead  in  the  gangway 
— Spears,  Floyd,  Fossett  and  Boyce  were  wounded — Crepps,  Crist  and  Moore 
remained  unhurt.  It  was  evident  that  Spears'  wound  was  mortal,  and  that 
he  could  survive  but  a  few  moments.  He  urged  the  survivors  to  run  the  boat 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  save  themselves  by  immediate  flight,  and 
leave  him  to  his  fate.  Crepps  and  Crist  positively  refused. 

But  the  boat  was  gradually  nearing  the  southern  shore  of  the  river.  At 
this  time,  the  Indians,  to  the  number  of  forty  or  fifty,  were  seen  crossing  the 
river  above,  at  a  few  hundred  yards'  distance,  some  on  logs,  and  some  swim- 
ming and  carrying  their  rifles  over  their  heads.  The  escape  of  the  boat  was 
now  hopeless,  as  there  was  a  large  body  of  Indians  on  each  side, of  the  river. 
If  the  boat  had  been  carried  immediately  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  as 
soon  as  her  cable  was  loosed,  the  survivors  might  nave  escaped  ;  but  to  such 
minds  and  hearts,  the  idea  of  leaving  their  dying  friends  to  the  mercy  of  the 
Indian  tomahawk  was  insupportable.  The  boat  at  length  touched  the  south- 
ern shore — a  hasty  preparation  was  made  to  bury  the  wounded  in  the  woods — 
Floyd,  Fossett  and  Boyce  got  to  land,  and  sought  concealment  in  the  thickets. 
Crepps  and  Crist  turned  to  their  suffering  friend,  Spears,  but  death  had  kindly 
stepped  in  and  cut  short  the  savage  triumph.  The  woman  now  remained. 
They  offered  to  assist  her  to  shore,  that  she  might  take  her  chance  of  escape 
in  the  woods;  but  the  danger  of  her  position,  and  the  scenes  of  blood  and 
death  around  her,  had  overpowered  her  senses,  and  no  entreaty  or  remon- 
strance could  prevail  with  her  to  move.  She  sat  with  her  face  buried  in  her 
hands,  and  no  effort  could  make  her  sensible  that  there  was  any  hope  of  escape. 

The  Indians  had  gained  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  were  yelling  like 
bloodhounds  as  they  ran  down  toward  the  boat,  which  they  now  looked  upon  as 
their  certain  prey.  Crepns  and  Crist  seized  a  rifle  apiece,  and  ascended  the 
river  bank ;»  at  the  top  of  tne  hill  they  met  the  savages,  and  charged  them 
with  a  shout  Cr  -i,p>  tired  upon  them,  but  Crist,  in  his  haste,  had  taken  up 
Fosse'.t'o  gun,  wriicn  had  got  wet  as  he  swam  with  it  to  the  boat  on  the  op- 
posite side — it  missed  fire.  At  this  time,  Moore  passed  them  and  escaped. 
The  Indians,  when  charged  by  Crepps  and  Crist,  fell  back  into  a  ravine  that 
put  into  the  river  immediately  above  them.  Crist  and  Crepps  again  com- 
menced their  flight.  The  Indians  rallied  and  rose  from  the  ravine,  and  fired 
a  volley  at  them  as  they  fled.  Crepps  received  a  ball  in  his  left  side  ;  a  bul- 
let struck  Crist's  heel,  and  completely  crushed  the  bones  of  his  foot.  They 
parted,  and  met  no  more.  The  Indians,  intent  on  plunder,  did  not  pursue 
them,  but  rushed  into  the  boat.  Crist  heard  one  long,  agonizing  shriek  from 
the  unfortunate  woman,  and  the  wild  shouts  of  the  savages,  as  they  possessed 
themselves  of  the  spoils  of  a  costly  but  barren  victory. 

Crepps,  in  the  course  of  the  next  day,  arrived  in  the  neighborhood  of  Long 
Lick,  and  being  unable  to  travel  farther,  laid  down  in  the  woods  to  die. 
Moore  alone  escaped  unhurt,  and  brought  in  the  tidings  of  the  defeat  of  the 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  K3j 

boat.  The  country  was  at  once  roused.  Crepps  was  found  and  brought  in, 
but  died  about  the  time  he  reached  home.  Crist  described  Crepps  as  a  tall, 
lair-haired,  handsome  man;  kind,  brave  and  enterprising,  and  posspssed  of  all 
those  high  and  striking  qualities  that  gave  the  heroic  stamp  to  that  hardy  r 
of  pioneers  among  whom  he  had  lived  and  died.  He  had  bom  tho  lion  of 
the  fight.  By  exposing  himself  to  the  most  imminent  peril,  ho  inspirited  his 
companions  with  his  own  contempt  of  danger.  He  and  Crist  had  stood  over 
Fossett,  and  kept  the  Indians  treed  while  he  disengaged  the  cable ;  and  his 
coolness  during  the  long,  bloody  struggle  of  the  day,  had  won  the  admiration 
of  Crist  himself — than  whom  a  more  dauntless  man  had  never  contended  with 
mortal  foe.  Crepps  left  a  young  wife  and  one  son,  then  an  infant.  His  wife 
was  enceinte  at  the  time  of  his  death — the  posthumous  child  was  a  daughter, 
and  is  the  wife  of  the  Hon.  Charles  A.  Wickliffe,  of  Kentucky.  The  son 
died  shortly  after  he  arrived  at  man's  estate. 

Crist  was  so  disabled  by  the  wound  that  he  could  not  walk.  The  bones 
of  his  heel  were  crushed.  He  crept  into  a  thicket  and  laid  down — his  wound 
bled  profusely.  He  could  not  remain  there  long.  His  feet  were  now  of  no 
use  to  him.  He  bound  his  moccasins  on  his  knees,  and  commenced  his  jour- 
ney. Piece  by  piece  his  hat,  hunting-shirt,  and  vest  were  consumed  to  shield 
his  hands  against  the  rugged  rocks  which  lay  in  his  way.  He  crawled  on  all 
day  up  the  river,  and  at  night  crossed  over  to  the  north  side  upon  a  log  that 
he  rolled  down  the  bank.  He  concealed  himself  in  a  thicket  and  tried  to 
sleep — but  pain  and  exhaustion  and  loss  of  blood  had  driven  sleep  from  his 
eyes.  His  foot  and  leg  were  much  swollen  and  inflamed.  Guided  by  the 
stars,  he  crept  on  again — between  midnight  and  day,  he  came  in  sight  of  a 
camp  fire,  and  heard  the  barking  of  a  dog.  A  number  of  Indians  rose  up 
from  around  the  fire,  and  he  crept  softly  away  from  the  light.  He  laid  down 
and  remained  quiet  for  some  time.  When  all  was  still  again,  he  resumed  his 
slow  and  painful  journey.  He  crawled  into  a  small  branch,  and  kept  on  down 
it  for  some  distance  upon  the  rocks,  that  he  might  leave  no  trace  behind  him. 
At  daylight,  he  ascended  an  eminence  of  considerable  height  to  ascertain,  if 
possible,  where  he  was,  and  how  to  shape  his  future  course;  but  all  around 
was  wilderness.  He  was  aiming  to  reach  Bullitt's  Lick,  now  about  eight 
miles  distant,  and  his  progress  was  not  half  a  mile  an  hour.  He  toiled  on  all 
day — night  came  on — the  second  night  of  his  painful  journey.  Since  leaving 
the  small  branch  the  night  before,  he  had  found  no  water — since  the  day  be- 
fore the  battle,  he  had  not  tasted  food.  Worn  down  with  hunger,  want  of 
sleep,  acute  pain,  and  raging  thirst,  he  laid  himself  down  to  die.  But  his 
sufferings  were  not  to  end  here — guided  again  by  the  stars,  he  struggled 
on.  Every  rag  that  he  could  interpose  between  the  rugged  stones  and  his 
bleeding  hands  and  knee  (for  he  could  now  use  but  one),  was  worn  away. 
The  morning  came — the  morning  of  the  third  day ;  it  brought  him  but  little 
hope  ;  but  the  indomitable  spirit  within  him  disdained  to  yield,  and  during 
the  day  he  made  what  progress  he  could.  As  the  evening  drew  on,  he  be- 
came aware  that  he  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Bullitt's  Lick;  but  he  could  go 
no  further ;  nature  had  made  her  last  effort,  and  he  laid  himself  dowrn  and 
prayed  that  death  would  speedily  end  his  sufferings. 

When  darkness  came  on,  from  where  he  lay,  he  could  see  the  hundred  fires 
of  the  furnaces  at  the  licks  all  glowing;  and  he  even  fancied  he  could  see  the 
dusky  forms  of  the  firemen  as  they  passed  to  and  fro  around  the  pits,  but  they 
were  more  than  half  a  mile  off,  and  how  was  he  to  reach  them?  He  had  not 
eaten  a  morsel  in  four  days ;  he  had  been  drained  of  almost  his  last  drop  of 
blood,  the  wounded  leg  had  become  so  stiff  and  swollen  that  for  the  last  twTo 
days  and  nights  he  had  dragged  it  after  him;  the  flesh  was  worn  from  his 


162  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

knee  and  from  the  palms  of  his  hands.  Relief  was  in  his  sight,  but  to  reach 
it  was  impossible.  Suddenly  he  heard  the  tramp  of  a  horse's  feet  approach- 
ing him,  and  hope  sprang  up  once  more  in  his  breast.  The  sound  came 
nearer  and  still  more  near.  A  path  ran  near  the  place  where  he  lay;  a  man 
on  horseback  approached  within  a  few  rods  of  him,  he  mustered  his  remain- 
ing strength,  and  hailed  him ;  but  to  his  utter  surprise  and  dismay,  the  horse- 
man turned  suddenly  and  galloped  off  toward  the  licks.  Despair  now  seized 
him.  To  die  alone  of  hunger  and  thirst,  in  sight  of  hundreds  and  of  plenty, 
seemed  to  him  the  last  dregs  of  the  bitterest  cup  that  fate  could  offer  to  mortal 
lips.  O  !  that  he  could  have  fallen  by  the  side  of  his  friend  in  the  proud  bat- 
tle !  That  he  could  have  met  the  Indian  tomahawk,  and  died  in  the  strength 
of  his  manhood  ;  and  not  have  been  doomed  to  linger  out  his  life  in  days  and 
nights  of  pain  and  agony,  and  to  die  by  piecemeal  in  childish  despair.  While 
these  thoughts  were  passing  in  his  mind,  the  horseman  (a  negro)  regained  the 
licks  and  alarmed  the  people  there  with  the  intelligence  that  the  Indians  were 
approaching.  On  being  interrogated,  all  the  account  he  could  give  was,  that 
some  person  had  called  to  him  in  the  woods,  a  half  mile  off,  and  called  him 
by  the  wrong  name.  It  was  manifest  it  was  not  Indians ;  and  forthwith  a 
number  of  men  set  out,  guided  by  the  negro,  to  the  place.  Grist's  hopes  again 
revived,  when  he  heard  voices,  and  saw  lights  approaching.  They  came 
near  and  hailed.  Crist  knew  the  voice,  and  called  to  the  man  by  name. 
This  removed  all  doubt,  and  they  approached  the  spot  where  he  lay.  A  sad 
and  mournful  sight  was  before  them.  A  man  that  had  left  them  but  a  few 
days  before,  in  the  bloom  of  youth,  health  and  buoyant  spirits,  now  lay 
stretched  upon  the  earth,  a  worn  and  mangled  skeleton,  unable  to  lift  a  hand 
to  bid  them  welcome.  They  bore  him  home;  the  ball  was  extracted;  but  his 
recovery  was  slow  and  doubtful.  It  was  a  year  before  he  was  a  man  again. 
The  woman  in  the  boat  was  carried  a  prisoner  to  Canada.  Ten  years  af- 
terward, Crist  met  her  again  in  Kentucky.  She  had  been  redeemed  by  an 
Indian  trader,  and  brought  into  Wayne's  camp  on  the  Maumee,  and  restored 
to  her  friends.  She  informed  Crist  that  the  body  of  Indians  which  made  the 
attack  on  the  boat,  numbered  over  one  hundred  and  twenty,-  of  whom  about 
thirty  were  killed  in  the  engagement.  The  account  was  confirmed  by  In- 
dians whom  Crist  met  with  afterward,  and  who  had  been  in  the  battle.  They 
told  Crist  that  the  boat's  crew  fought  more  like  devils  than  men,  and  if  they 
had  taken  one  of  them  prisoner,  they  would  have  roasted  him  alive.  Crist 
was  afterward  a  member  of  the  Kentucky  Legislature,  and  in  1808,  was  a 
member  of  Congress.  He  died  at  his  residence  in  Bullitt  County,  in  August, 
1844,  aged  eighty  years. 


REBELLION  IN  TENNESSEE. 

THE  country  now  constituting  the  State  of  Tennessee,  was  originally  com- 
prised within  the  territory  of  the  State  of  North  Carolina.  The  settlers  who 
poured  in  just  after  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war,  found  it  of  great  incon- 
venience to  remain  under  the  jurisdiction  of  North  Carolina.  At  that  time 
hostilities  had  been  commenced  against  them  by  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees ; 
and  being  unprotected  by  the  troops  of  North  Carolina,  and  without  any  go- 
vernment of  their  own,  their  situation  was  perilous.  A  large  proportion  of 
her  people  determined  to  form  an  independent  State  government,  which  would 
enable  them  to  legally  assemble  a  military  force  for  defense. 

In  1786,  a  convention  met  at  Jonesborough,  consisting  of  five  members 
from  each  county,  who  declared  the  district  independent  of  North  Carolina, 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  163 

and  formed  it  into  a  State,  under  the  name  of  "  Frankland."     They  appointed 
Col.  John  Sevier,  Governor,  elected  judges  and  other  State  officers,  and  sent 


conflicting  courts  in  its  jurisdiction ;  one  under  the  authority  of  North  Caro- 
lina, the  other  under  that  of  the  new  State,  each  of  which  decided  that  they 
alone  had  legal  authority.  It  was  a  fruitful  source  of  collision  and  quarn-1. 
The  sheriff  of  Frankland,  with  his  posse,  in  some  instances,  went  into  the 
other  court,  seized  the  papers  and  turned  the  officers  out  of  doors.  In 
turn,  the  party  of  North  Carolina  retaliated  in  the  same  way.  Soon  after  his 
inauguration,  Gov.  Sevier  came  in  collision  with  Col.  Tipton,  the  most  pro- 
minent man  among  the  stanch  adherents  of  the  old  State.  From  the  argu- 
ment of  words,  they  proceeded  to  that  of  the  fists ;  but  were  separated  in  the 
midst  of  the  combat.  This  example  was  often  imitated  among  the  people, 
and  it  was  evident,  that  in  such  a  crisis  things  must  come  to  a  more  serious  issue. 

The  party  of  North  Carolina  sent  Col.  Tipton  their  representative  to  the 
legislature:  taxes  were  imposed  by  the  authority  of  both  legislatures:  the 
people  paid  neither,  speciously  declaring  they  did  not  know  to  which 
authority  they  ought  to  yield  their  money.  Another  convention  of  Frank- 
land  met  and  elected  William  Cocke,  Esqr.,  to  Congress.  That  body 
courteously  allowed  him  to  address  them.  He  eloquently  portrayed,  in  a 
speech  before  them,  the  helpless  and  miserable  condition  of  Frankland ;  on  the 
one  hand  engaged  in  a  civil  war  with  the  parent  State,  and  on  the  other  as- 
sailed by  the  merciless  savages.  He  was  heard  ;  Congress  interposed,  to 
promote  harmony,  and  a  general  amnesty  was  passed  in  regard  to  all  who 
were  willing  to  yield  to  the  authority  of  North  Carolina.  The  pacific  .and 
decided  measures  of  Congress  seemed  at  once  to  restore  things  to  their  former 
condition  before  the  formation  of  the  State  of  Frankland.  under  the  exter- 
nal appearance  of  tranquillity,  remained  the  smothered  fire  :  a  considerable 
number  remained  stanch  to  the  cause  of  the  fallen  State,  and  disposed,  under 
the  first  favorable  circumstances,  to  rear  it  up  again.  Gov.  Sevier  still  retained 
his  integrity  in  his  faith  in  the  new  State, 

In  1788,  an  execution  was  taken  out  by  the  existing  government,  organized 
by  North  Carolina,  against  the  property  of  Gov.  Sevier,  as  he  still  continued 
to  be  called.  His  negroes  had  been  taken  by  this  execution,  during  his  ab- 
sence, while  contending  with  the  hostile  Indians.  Considering  this  illegal, 
he  on  his  return  collected  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  proceeded  to  attack 
the  house  of  Col.  Tipton,  where  he  was  informed  his  negroes  were  placed  for 
safe  keeping.  He  also  was  told  that  he  was  sought  by  Tipton's  men,  to  be 
put  in  prison.  Col.  Sevier  was  highly  exasperated,  and  he  proceeded  to  the 
attack  of  Tipton's  house,  which  stood  nine  miles  from  Jonesborough.  The 
dwelling  was  barricaded  and  defended  by  stanch  friends  of  Tipton.  Sevier 
summoned  the  garrison  to  surrender  ;  the  only  reply  was  for  the  assailants  to 
disband  themselves,  before  the  regular  troops  of  the  government  came  to  the 
aid  of  the  besieged.  Hostilities  were  commenced,  and  one  man  killed  and 
a  number  of  men  wounded.  The  morning  of  the  attack  was  snowy,  and  the 
assailing  fojrce  had  hardly  commenced  an  attack  upon  the  house  when  news 
came  of  the  approach  of  Col.  Maxwell,  with  one  hundred  and  eighty  men,  in 
aid  of  the  besieged.  Upon  this  they  fled.  Two  were  taken  prisoners.  Col. 
Tipton  determined  to  hang  them  upon  the  spot;  he  was  hardly  swayed  from 
his  purpose  by  strong  persuasion.  This  defeat  put  an  end  to  the  pretensions 
of  the  partisans  of  Frankland.  Sevier  concealed  his  mortification  by  remov- 
ing to  the  remoter  frontier,  when,  with  a  number  of  devoted  friends,  he  gave 


Lj±  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

his  services  to  making  war  upon  the  Indians.  The  Indians  made  an  attark 
upon  the  settlements  around  Knoxville ;  he  drove  them  off  and  burnt  their 
towns.  While  thus  meritoriously  engaged,  he  was  called  to  the  seat  of  go- 
vernment to  answer  the  charge  of  high  treason.  Colonel  Sevier  was  seized 
at  Jonesborough,  by  order  of  Col.  Tipton,  imprisoned  and  put  in  irons;  he 
eventually  was  aided  to  escape.  He  was  very  popular  with  the  mass  of  the 
people,  in  consequence  of  his  services  in  the  revolution,  and  his  conduct  in 
many  Indian  fights.  By  a  law  of  North  Carolina,  he  was  made  an  outlaw, 
and 'his  property  confiscated.  But  his  character  and  public  services  ulti- 
mately created  a  reaction  in  his  favor ;  the  law  was  repealed,  and  he  was 
elected  to  the  senate  of  North  Carolina,  and  brigadier-general  over  the 
territory. 


INCIDENTS  OF  BORDER  WARFARE,  FROM  THE  TERMINATION  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
REVOLUTION  UNTIL  THE  TREATY  OF  GREENVILLE. 

SOON  after  th?  revolutionary  war,  treaties  were  made  with  the  different 
tribes  of  Indians  in  the  west  and  southwest;  and,  under  the  impression  that 
these  would  be  effectual  in  restraining  them  from  hostilities,  thousands  were 
induced  to  emigrate  to  the  "  new  countries."  Hopes  based  upon  such  pro- 
mises were  doomed  to  disappointment.  The  Shawanese  Indians,  instigated  by 
the  British  at  Detroit,  commenced  sending  marauding  parties  into  Kentucky 
in  less  than  two  years  after  the  war,  and  committed  so  many  murders  upon 
emigrants  descending  the  Ohio  in  boats  as  to  render  its  navigation  extremely 
perilous. 

From  the  close  of  the  war  until  1790,  not  less  than  1500  men,  women  and 
children  hid  been  killed  or  carried  into  captivity  by  the  savages  south  of  the 
Ohio. 

The  General  Government,  anxious  to  preserve  peace,  opposed  measures  of 
retaliation,  and  to  settle  amicably  all  difficulties,  a  treaty  was  made  with  the 
Shawanese  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami,  in  January,  1786,  Generals  Richard, 
Butler  and  Clarke  being  the  Commissioners.  No  regard  being  paid  to  its 
stipulations,  an  expedition  was  organized  in  Kentucky  in  the  ensuing  fall  to 
punish  them.  It  was  divided  into  two  divisions.  The  division  under  Gen. 
Clark'-,  of  1000  men,  assembled  at  Louisville  and  marched  to  Vincennes. 
Then-  they  were  delayed  nine  days  in  waiting  for  provisions,  which  had  been 
sent  in  transports  by  water  down  the  Ohio  and  up  the  Wabash.  This  delay, 
t'l-.r.  tlii-r  with  a  mutiny  among  the  troops,  in  which  three  hundred  men  deserted 
when  within  two  days'  march  of  the  hostile  villages,  .rendered  the  expedition 
•ibortivo,  and  they  returned  without  having  seen  an  enemy  or  struck  a  blow. 
Th<>  expedition  under  General  Logan  was  more  fortunate.  He  marched  into 
what  is  now  Lo^an  County,  Ohio,  destroyed  eight  towns,  together  with  their 
corn-fields  and  took  seventy  or  eighty  prisoners.  This  served  but  to  exas- 
perate th-'  enemy  to  more  active  hostilities,  to  retaliate  which  three  hundred 
mounted  Kentix kians,  under  Todd,  Hinkston  and  Kenton,  in  the  succeeding 
year,  crossed  the  Ohio,  and,  marching  up  the  Scioto  about  60  miles,  destroyed 
the  Indian  town  of  Chillicothe  on  Paint  Creek. 

In  the  summer  of  1788,  the  Indian  incursions  increased  in  frequency  and 
audacity,  and  they  did  their  utmost  to  arrest  the  settlements  of  the  whites, 
which  had  now  advanced  across  the  Ohio  into  the  vicinity  of  Marietta. 
While  some  hostile  parties  were  lurking  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  to  attack, 
decoy  or  pursue  the  boats  of  the  emigrant,  others  were  incessantly  roaming 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  165 

inland,  ambuscading*  every  neighborhood,  and  patiently  watching  in  covert 
places  to  pick  off  unfortunate  individuals  who  might  come  within  their  reach. 
The  early  settlers  of  Illinois  also  suffered  from  the  depredations  of  the  Kick- 
apoo  Indians,  that  country  having  its  first  American  settlement  founded  in 
1781,  by  Western  Virginians,  near  the  site  of  Bellefontaine,  in  Monroe 
County. 

The  situation  of  those  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  savages  was  truly 
pitiable.  Some  were  subjected  to  most  unnatural  and  slow  tortures.  Some 
were  butchered  in  their  beds  in  the  darkness  of  night.  Many  scalps  were 
shown  clotted  with  gore!  limbs  were  terribly  mangled  !  women  were  ripped 
up  !  the  heart  and  bowels  still  palpitating  with  life  and  smoking  on  the  ground  ! 
The  barbarians,  not  satisfied  with  even  this,  were  seen  swilling  their  blood, 
and  imbibing  a  more  courageous  fury  from  the  draught. 

In  January,  1789,  two  treaties  were  made  with  the  Indians  at  FortHarmar, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum,  opposite  Marietta,  by  Arthur  St.  Clair, 
Governor  of  the  Northwestern  Territory.  The  first  was  with  the  Five  Nations, 
and  the  second  with  six  of  the  northwestern  tribes.  It  did  not  produce  the 
favorable  results  anticipated.  The  northwestern  tribes,  in  defiance  of  its 
stipulations,  resumed  the  hatchet ;  and  the  General  Government,  finding  their 
pacific  attempts  frustrated,  were  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  aggressive 
measures.  • 

Hannahs  Expedition. — In  the  autumn  of  1790,  about  1300  troops,  of 
whom  less  than  one-fourth  were  regulars,  marched  from  Cincinnati,  under 
General  Harmar,  against  the  Indian  towns  on  the  Maumee,  near  the  site  of 
Fort  Wayne.  When  within  a  short  distance  of  their  point  of  destination, 
Colonel  Hardin  was  detached  with  six  hundred  and  fifty  men.  This  advance, 
on  reaching  the  Indian  villages,  found  them  deserted.  The  next  day,  the 
main  body  having  arrived,  their  towns,  containing  three  hundred  wigwams, 
were  burnt,  the  fruit  trees  girdled,  and  20,000  bushels  of  corn  destroyed. 
While  the  troops  were  at  the  villages,  a  detachment  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
Kentucky  militia  and  thirty  regulars,  under  Colonel  Hardin,  were  sent  on 
an  Indian  trail,  when  they  fell  into  an  ambush  of  seven  hundred  warriors 
under  Little  Turtle.  At  the  first  fire  the  militia  fled  without  firing  a  shot,, 
but  the  thirty  regulars  resisted  with  the  greatest  obstinacy  until  all  were 
killed,  except  two  officers  and  two  or  three  privates.  Ensign  Armstrong  was 
saved  by  falling  behind  a  log  while  on  the  retreat,  which  screened  him  from 
his  pursuers;  while  Captain  Armstrong  was  preserved  by  plunging  up  to  his 
neck  in  a  swamp.  There  he  remained  all  night  a  spectator  of  the  war  dance 
over  the  bodies  of  the  dead  and  wounded  soldiers,  the  shrieks  of  the  latter,  as- 
they  were  tortured,  mingling  with  the  yells  of  the  savages. 

When  the  army  had  proceeded  one  day  on  the  return  march,  Colonel  Hardin 
and  Major  Willis  were  sent  back  with  four  hundred  men,  of  whom  sixty  were 
regulars,  to  surprise  the  Indians,  whom  it  was  supposed  would  return.  On 
entering  the  town  a  few  of  the  enemy  were  seen,  who  immediately  fled,  and 
decoyed  the  militia  into  an  irregular  pursuit  in  different  directions.  This 
being  accomplished,  Little  Turtle  fell,  with  his  main  body,  upon  the  regulars 

*  The  artifices  of  the  Indians  to  decoy  the  crews  into  their  power  were  various.  Sometimes 
a  single  Indian,  disguised  in  the  dress  of  some  unfortunate  white  who  had  fallen  into  their  hands, 
appeared  on  the  shore  making  signals  of  distress  and  counterfeiting  the  motions  of  a  wounded  man, — 
or,  perhaps,  as  it  was  frequently  the  case,  the  unhappy  white  captive  was  forced  by  threats  of 
horrible  torture  to  act  this  part.  The  crews,  supposing  the  suppliants  to  be  their  countrymen  who 
had  escaped  from  the  Indians,  would  turn  their  boats  to  the  shore  to  take  them  in,  when  suddenly, 
on  touching  the  bank,  a  fierce  band  of  warriors  would  rush  upon  them  from  their  ambuscade  with 
terrific  yells.  Sometimes  the  savages  crawled  to  the  water's  edge,  wrapped  in  the  skins  of  bears, 
*nd  thus  alluring  the  boatmen,  who  were  ever  ready  to  exchange  the  oar  for  the  rifle,  into  their 
power. 

21 


166  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

with  great  fury.  They  threw  down  their  guns,  and,  with  their  tomahawks, 
rushed  upon  the  bayonets  of  the  soldiers.  While  a  soldier  was  engaged  in 
the  use  of  his  bayonet  upon  one  Indian,  two  others  would  sink  their  toma- 
hawks in  his  head.  The  result  was  that  every  regular  fell,  together  with 
their  gallant  major.  Ere  the  conflict  was  over,  a  part  of  the  militia  who  had 
returned  from  the  pursuit,  joined  in  the  contest,  but  were  compelled  to  retreat, 
leaving  the  dead  and  wounded  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

The  expedition,  in  destroying  the  Indian  villages,  had  accomplished  the 
great  object  of  its  mission,  although  under  circumstances  of  misfortune.  It- 
was  succeeded  by  such  vigorous  exertions,  on  the  part  of  the  savages,  that  they 
must  have  succeeded  in  breaking  up  the  American  settlements  were  it  not  for 
the  total  destruction  of  their  property  and  provisions  just  at  the  approach  of 
winter. 

On  the  second  of  January  (1791)  the  settlement  at  Big  Bottom,  on  the 
Muskingum,  about  thirty  miles  above  Marietta,  Was  surprised  and  broken  up 
by  the  Indians.  Twelve  persons  were  killed  and  a  number  taken  prisoners. . 
So  sudden  was  the  attack,  that  no  resistance  was  made  by  any  of  the  men 
when  the  Indians  entered  the  blockhouse ;  but  Mrs.  Meeks,  a  stout,  back- 
woods Virginia  woman,  seized  an  ax  and  inflicted  a  severe  wound  upon  an 
Indian  warrior :  she  was  instantly  tomahawked.  Within  a  few  days,  all  the 
settlements  on  the  Muskingum,  except  that  at  Marietta,  were  broken  up. 

On  the  9th  of  the  same  month,  Dunlap's  station  at  Colerain,  a  few  miles 
north  of  Cincinnati,  was  violently  attacked  by  about  four  hundred  Indians, 
under  the  notorious  Simon  Girty.  The  garrison,  consisting  of  not  one-tenth 
of  their  number,  were  United  States  troops,  commanded  by  Capt.  Kingsbury. 
They  displayed  unusual  gallantry,  frequently  exposing  their  persons  above  the 
pickets,  to  insult  and  provoke  their  assailants.  WThile  the  post  was  com- 
pletely surrounded  by  the  enemy,  John  Wallace  volunteered  to  go  to  Cincin 
nati  for  aid.  Late  in  the  night,  he  crossed  the  Big  Miami  in  a  canoe,  on  the 
bank  of  which  the  fort  stood,  and  thence  followed  down  it  some  miles;  then, 
although  in  the  dead  of  winter,  he  swam  the  river,  and  directed  his  course 
for  Cincinnati :  but  before  he  returned  with  aid,  the  Indians  had  left. 

So  constant  were  the  Indians  in  their  depredations  around  the  settlements, 
that  it  was  unsafe  to  venture  into  the  woods  unarmed;  and  even  at  Cincinnati, 
in  sight  of  Fort  Washington,  the  people  were  obliged  to  attend  church  armed 
to  repel  an  attack. 

In  May,  seven  hundred  and  fifty  Kentuckians,  under  General  Charles  Scott, 
rendezvoused  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  river,  and,  crossing  the  Ohio  on 
the  twenty-third,  marched  northward  with  great  rapidity.  In  about  three  weeks 
the  expedition  returned  to  Kentucky,  without  the  loss  of  a  man,  after  having 
surprised  and  destroyed  several  towns  on  the  Wabash  and  Eel  Rivers,  killed 
thirty-two  of  the  enemy  in  skirmishes,  and  taken  fifty-eight  prisoners. 

In  the  succeeding  August,  Colonel  James  Wilkinson  left  Fort  Washington 
with  five  hundred  and  fifty  mounted  Kentucky  volunteers,  to  complete  the 
work  which  had  been  so  successfully  begun  by  Gen.  Scott,  against  the  Indians  on 
the  Wabash  and  its  tributaries.  The  expedition  was  successful.  Several 
towns  were  destroyed,  the  corn  was  cut  up  and  thirty-four  prisoners  taken. 

St.  Clair's  Campaign. — While  these  military  movements  were  going  on 
against  the  Wabasn  Indians,  the  war  department  was  engaged  in  raising  an 
army  of  3000  men,  ordered  by  Congress  for  an  invasion  of  the  country  of  the 
Northwestern  Indians  ;  the  whole  to  be  placed  under  the  command  of  Gov. 
St.  Clair,  as  major-general.  On  the  last  of  August,  the  troops,  which  hnd 
rendezvoused  at  Fort  Washington,  to  the  number  of  2000,  marched  to  Lud- 
low's  station,  five  miles  in  advance,  where  they  encamped  until  the  17th  of 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  167 

September,  awaiting  reinforcements  and  supplies.  Then,  their  number  being 
augmented  to  2300  men,  they  marched  northwardly,  stopping,  on  their  route, 
to  erect  Forts  Hamilton  and  Jefferson.  At  this  last  post,  300  militia  deserted 
in  a  body.  Upon  this,  Gen  St.  Clair  detached  the  1st  regiment,  under  Major 
Hamtramck,  to  bring  them  back. 

Having  made  that  arrangement,  the  army  moved  on,  and,  on  the  3d  of  No- 
vember^, came  to  a  small  branch  of  the  Wabash,  about  one  hundred  miles 
north  of  Cincinnati;  within  two  or  three  miles  of  what  is  now  the  Indiana 
State  line.  Here  the  troops  were  encamped  in  the  following  order:  "upon 
a  very  commanding  piece  of  ground,  in  two  lines,  having  the  above  mentioned 
creek  in  front,  the  right  wing  composed  of  Butler,  Clarke  and  Patterson's 
battalions,  commanded  by  Major-General  Butler,  forming  the  first  line ;  and 
the  left  wing  consisting  of  Bedinger  and  Gaither's  battalions  and  the  socond 
regiment,  commanded  by  Col.  Darke,  formed  the  second  line ;  with  an  inter- 
val of  about  seventy  yards,  which  was  all  the  ground  allowed.  The  right 
flank  was  pretty  well  secured  by  the  creek,  a  steep  bank,  and  Faulkner's 
corps;  some  of  the  cavalry  and  their  pickets  covered  the  left  flank.  The 
militia  were  thrown  over  the  creek  in  advance  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and 
encamped  in  the  same  order."  The  next  day  the  general  had  intended  to 
throw  up  a  slight  work,  the  plan  of  which  was  concerted  that  evening  with 
Major  Ferguson ;  and  to  have  moved  on  to  attack  the  enemy,  as  soon  as  the 
first  regiment  had  come  up.  The  wily  enemy  did  not  wait  for  this  junction 
of  the  force  opposed  to  them ;  but  about  half  an  hour  before  sunrise,  on  the 
fatal  4th  of  November,  and  just  after  the  men  had  been  dismissed  from  pa- 
rade, the  attack  began  on  the  militia.  This  portion  of  the  army  soon  gave 
way  and  rushed  into  camp  through  the  battalions  of  Butler  and  Clarke,  throw- 
ing them  into  considerable  confusion,  and  followed  by  the  Indians  at  their 
heels ;  the  fire  of  .the  front  line  checked  them ;  but  almost  immediately,  a 
very  heavy  attack  began  upon  that  line,  and  in  a  very  few  minutes  it  was 
extended  to  the  second  likewise ;  the  great  weight  of  it  was  directed  against 
the  center  of  each ;  where  the  artillery  was  placed,  from  which  the  men  were 
repeatedly  driven  with  great  slaughter.  General  St.  Clair,  who,  notwith- 
standing he  was  ill,  was  borne  about  everywhere  in  his  litter  into  the  thickest 
of  the  fire,  giving  his  orders  with  the  coolness  and  self-possession  worthy  of 
a  better  fortune  ;  he  directed  Col.  Darke  to  rouse  the  Indians  from  their  covert 
with  the  bayonet,'  and  to  turn  their  left  flank.  This  was  executed  with  great 
spirit ;  but  although  the  enemy  was  driven  three  or  four  hundred  yards,  for 
want  of  numbers  or  cavalry,  they  soon  returned,  and  our  troops  were  forced 
to  give  back  in  their  turn.  The  savages  had  now  got  into  the  American  camp 
by  the  left  flank,  having  pursued  back  the  troops  that  were  posted  there  :  again 
several  charges  were  made  with  effect:  but  in  these  efforts,  great  carnage  was 
suffered  from  the  concealed  enemy,  and  particularly  by  the  officers.  Every 
oiticer  of  the  second  regiment  fell  except  three,  and  more  than  half  the  army 
was  killed :  under  this  lamentable  slaughter,  it  became  necessary  to  make 
another  charge  against  the  enemy,  as  if  with  a  view  to  turn  their  right  flank, 
but  in  fact,  to  .regain  the  road  from  which  the  army  was  intercepted.  This 
object  attained,  the  retreat  began  and  soon  degenerated  into  a  "flight,"  a  "  pre- 
cipitate one  it  was  in  fact,"  as  so  honestly  owned,  in  the  simple  and  dignified 
dispatch  of  Gen.  St.  Clair.  Arms  were  thrown  away  even  after  the  pursuit 
had  ceased ;  the  artillery  was  necessarily  abandoned,  for  not  a  horse  was  left 
to  have  dragged  it  oft",  had  that  been  practicable,  and  the  General  was  mounted 
on  a  packhorse  "  which  could  not  be  pricked  out  of  a  walk."  "  The  rout 
continued  quite  to  Fort  Jefferson,  twenty-nine  miles  from  the  scene  of  action," 


168  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

which  was  reached  about  sunset ;  while  the  battle  ended  about  half  after  nine 
in  the  morning. 

The  melancholy  result  of  this  action  was  felt  and  lamented  by  all  who  had 
sympathy  for  private  distress  or  public  misfortune.  The  officers  exposed 
themselves  in  an  unusual  degree,  to  rally  the  men  and  remedy  the  want  of 
discipline  ;  and  hence  the  loss  fell  heavily  upon  them.  It  was  alleged  by  the 
officers,  that  the  enemy  far  outnumbered  their  troops ;  a  conclusion  drawn 
from  the  fact  that  they  outflanked  and  attacked  the  American  lines  with  great 
force  at  the  same  time  on  every  side. 

The  Indians  engaged  in  the  battle,  were  supposed  to  number  about  two 
thousand,  and  were  under  the  command  of  Blue  Jacket,  Buckongahelas  and 
Little  Turtle.  In  this  disastrous  action,*  the  number  of  killed  and  wounded 

*  Among  the  officers  in  this  action  who  distinguished  themselves  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution, 
was  Captain  Littell,  of  Essex  County,  New  Jersey.  He  was  engaged  as  a  partisan  officer  in  the 
early  part  of  the  war,  having  been  in  no  less  than  thirteen  skirmishes  with  the  enemy  ;  in  several  of 
which,  particularly  in  the  attack  on  Springfield,  he  gained  great  credit  for  his  daring  bravery.  He 
was  also  at  the  battles  of  Brandywine  and  Germantown,  where  he  commanded  a  company  of 
artillery. 

His  broken  fortunes  eventually  compelled  him  to  turn  his  attention  to  the  new  lands  of  the  west. 
Considering  the  contemplated  expedition  of  St.  Clair  as  giving  a  favorable  chance  to  explore  the 
country,  he  applied  for  a  commission  ;  but  being  too  late  in  his  application,  he,  together  with  his 
son,  a  young  man  just  of  age,  enlisted  in  the  ranks  under  the  supposition  generally  entertained,  that 
there  would  be  no  fighting — that  the  Indians,  overawed  by  the  formidable  force  of  St.  Clair,  would 
sue  for  peace.  In  the  action,  his  company,  one  of  the  best  in  the  army,  was  stationed  on  the  right 
wing.  It  was  composed  mainly  of  young  men  from  New  Jersey,  many  of  whom  had  come  out 
principally  with  the  object  of  viewing  the  country  ;  more  than  one-half  of  whom  fell  on  this  disas- 
trous occasion.  Being  hotly  engaged,  Captain  Littell  was  not  aware  of  the  order  to  retreat,  until 
the  enemy  were  in  the  encampment.  Closely  followed  by  the  Indians,  he  then  sprang  down  the 
bank  of  the  creek,  gained  the  opposite  bank,  accidentally  stepped  into  a  hollow,  and  fell  unharmed 
amid  a  shower  of  bullets  from  his  pursuers,  who  supposing  him  killed,  turned  their  attention  in 
another  direction,  doubtless,  intending  to  scalp  him  at  leisure.  Screened  from  observation  by  the 
grass  and  underwood,  he  was  emptying  his  boots  of  water,  with  which  they  had  been  filled",  and 
making  other  preparations  to  facilitate  his  flight,  when  he  was  discovered  by  a  solitary  Indian,  who 
ran  over  to  the  bank  on  which  Littell  lay;  failing  to  climb  it  on  the  first  attempt,  he  reached  over 
and  laid  down  his  rifle,  to  facilitate  that  object  ;  as  he  rose  above  the  bai»k,  Littell  plunged  his 
iword  into  his  breast,  when  the  savage  fell  back  dead  into  the  water.  This  adventure  being  over, 
Littell  fl^d,  and  after  two  days  of  weary,  solitary  wandering,  arrived  safe  at  Fort  Jefferson. 

His  son,  Stephen,  had  a  still  more  remarkable  escape.  At  the  commencement  of  the  battle,  he 
WHS  with  an  advanced  party,  who  being  closely  pressed  by  the  enemy,  were  compelled  to  fall  back. 
Unable  to  keep  up  with  his  comrades,  he  sprang  aside  and  hid  in  some  fallen  brushwood,  the  In- 
dians in  the  meanwhile,  hurrying  on  to  the  attack,  having  got  between  him  and  the  rest  of  the 
troops.  There  he  lay  in  dreadful  suspense  until  the  battle  was  over,  and  the  Indians  in  full  pursuit 
of  the  flying  army  when  he  ventured  to  the  scene  of  conflict.  The  dead  and  wounded  lay  strewed 
in  every  direction.  The  scalped  heads  in  the  heavy  morning  frost,  were  reeking  with  smoke; 
groans  of  agony  ascended  from  all  quarters,  and  many  of  the  wounded  begged  him  to  terminate 
their  misery,  and  thus  save  thorn  from  the  horrible  tortures  that  were  to  ensue.  This  he  refused, 
but  did  his  utmost  to  assist  some  of  them  to  places  of  comparative  safety.  Among  the  dead,  he  saw 
lying  upon  his  face  an  officer  whose  figure  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  his  father.  He  was  in 
the  act  of  turning  him  over  to  examine  his  features,  when  the  terrific  shouts  of  some  of  the  savages 
returning  from  the  pursuit,  compelled  him  to  secrete  himself  in  the  top  of  a  fallen  tree.  He  had 
barely  time  to  screen  himself  from  casual  observation,  when  the  Indians  came  bounding  upon  the 
ground,  yelling  like  so  many  demons,  and  pouncing  upon  the  unfortunate  wounded,  commenced, 
with  a  fiend- like  avidity,  to  perpetrate  upon  them  all  sorts  of  barbarities.  What  were  his  emotions 
as  he,  from  his  hiding-place,  witnessed  these  atrocities,  cannot  well  be  described.  At  one  moment, 
ae  thought  he  was  discovered— a  party  of  the  Indians  set  up  some  of  the  wounded  as  targets,  and 
were  amusing  themselves  in  striving  to  see  how  near  they  could  throw  their  tomahawks  without 
hitting  them.  A  weapon  thus  thrown,  fell  so  near  that  he  could  easily  have  reached  out  his  hand 
and  taken  it,  when  a  savage  sprang  forward,  and  as  he  approached  the  spot,  Littell  thought  his  eye 
rested  upon  him,  and  considered  himself  as  lost.  The  Indian,  however,  intoxicated  with  his  triumph, 
fortunately  did  not  see  him  ;  but  catching  up  his  murderous  weapon,  lie  buried  it  in  the  brains  of 
his  unfortunate  victim,  and  then  left  to  commit  new  atrocities.  Among  the  Indians  was  a  white 
man,  probably  Simon  Girty,  who  appeared  to  exercise  considerable  influence.  Poor  Littell,  in  mo- 
mentury  expectation  of  discovery,  determined  to  rush  out  and  claim  his  protection  ;  but  was  re- 
strained by  witnessing  his  monstrous  barbarities,  in  which  he  appeared  to  excel  even  the  savages 
themselves.  Among  other  things,  he  saw  them  throw  two  pieces  of  artillery  into  the  creek.  He 
did  not  abandon  his  hiding-place  until  they  had  all  left  the  field,  when  he  set  off  in  the  direction  of 
the  fort— the  last  person  who  left  the  battle-ground. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  169 

were  over  nine  hundred,  among  whom  were  forty-nine  commissioned  officers. 
The  Indian  loss  was  only  about  sixty  killed.  Accompanying  the  army,  were 
a  large  number  of  women,  of  whom  fifty-six  were  killed.  The  unfortunate 
men  who  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands  with  life,  were  used  with  the  greatest 
torture,  having  their  limbs  torn  off;  and  the  poor  women  were  treated  with 
the  most  indecent  cruelty,  stakes  as  large  as  a  person's  arms  being  driven 
through  their  bodies. 

These  various  campaigns  had  inflamed  the  rage  and  malice  of  the  savages 
to  the  highest  pitch,  and  prompted  them  to  fill  the  country  with  marauding 
parties,  whose  depredations  ana  cruelties  were  most  distressing. 

In  the  succeeding  April  (1792)  Gen.  Anthony  Wayne  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  the  Northwestern  Army.  He  accepted  the  office  on  the  express 
condition  that  he  should  not  be  required  to  advance  against  the  enemy  until 
the  army  was  full  and  well  disciplined.  For  this  purpose  the  general  govern- 
ment were  making  extraordinary  exertions  for  a  vigorous  and  effective  cam- 
paign. 

In  the  course  of  the  season,  unsuccessful  attempts  were  made  to  open  a 
negotiation  with  the  Indians  to  effect  a  general  peace.  Col.  Hardin  and  Ma- 
jor Trueman,  who  had  been  sent  on  embassies  with  flags  from  Fqrt  Wash- 
ington, were  barbarously  murdered. 

During  the  year,  the  advanced  Forts  St.  Clair  and  Jefferson,  in  the  Miami 
country,  were  frequently  assailed  by  the  Indians,  and  skirmishes  often  took 
place  between  the  Indians  and  parties  of  soldiers  passing  to  and  fro  between 
these  posts  and  Fort  Washington,  at  Cincinnati.  On  the  6th  of  November  a 
severe  action  took  place  almost  under  the  guns  of  Fort  St.  Clair,  between 
one  hundred  mounted  Kentuckians,  commanded  by  Captain  Adair,  and  two 
hundred  and  fifty  Indians,  under  Little  Turtle,  in  which  the  whites  were 
worsted. 

In  the  spring  following  (1793),  while  arrangements  for  the  campaign  were 
going  on,  commissioners  were  appointed  to  negotiate  a  treaty  with  the  North- 
west Indians,  on  the  basis  of  that  of  Fort  Harmar.  They  proceeded  to  Nia- 
gara, crossed  Lake  Erie  in  a  vessel,  and  landed  at  the  mouth  of  Detroit 
River  in  the  latter  part  of  July.  They  held  a  council  there  with  a  deputa- 
tion of  twenty  Indians,  from  about  as  many  different  tribes,  assembled  at  the 
foot  of  the  Maumee  Rapids.  The  Indians  denied  the  validity  of  the  treaty 
of  Fort  Harmar,  made  in  1789,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  made  with  chiefs 
of  two  or  three  nations  only,  who  had  no  right  to  cede  any  territory  to  the 
whites.  They  insisted  on  the  first  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix,  made  in  1768, 
which  establishes  the  Ohio  River  as  the  boundary,  and  that  if  the  United 
States  wished  to  make  a  firm  and  lasting  peace,  they  would  immediately  re- 
move all  their  people  from  the  upper  side  of  that  river,  which  the  Indians 
claimed  as  their  own.  The  commissioners,  in  reply,  called  the  attention  of 
the  Indian  deputies  to  the  second  treaty  of  fort  Stanwix,  made  in  1784,  and 
to  that  of  Fort  Harmar,  by  which  the  United  States  purchased  large  tracts 
of  land  from  the  Indians  north  of  the  Ohio,  which  had  been  settled  by  the 
whites  at  great  expense,  and  could  not  be  given  up  on  any  terms  whatever. 
They  also  offered  liberal  pecuniary  inducements  to  them  to  confirm  the  ex- 
tensive grant  of  land  in  the  Ohio  country  made  by  the  treaty  of  Fort  Har- 
mar. The  Indians,  however,  would  not  agree  to  any  other  boundary  than  the 
Ohio,  and  the  council  was  broken  up.  It  was  evident  that  a  treaty  satisfac- 
tory to  both  parties  would  have  been  made,  but  for  the  influence  steadily  and 
successfully  exerted  on  the  minds  of  the  savages  by  the  agents  of  the  British 
government. 

All  prospects  of  peace  now  being  at  an  end,  Wayne  advanced  with  his 


170  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

forces  about  eighty  miles  northward  from  Cincinnati,  and  erected  a  fort  on 
the  site  of  Greenville,  Ohio.  In  October,  while  Lieut.  Lowry,  with  ninety 
men,  was  conveying  military  stores  for  the  supply  of  the  army,  they  were 
attacked  at  Ludlow's  spring,  about  seven  miles  northerly  from  the  site  of 
Eaton,  Ohio,  by  a  superior  body  of  Indians  under  Little  Turtle.  They  made 
an  obstinate  resistance.  Lieutenant  Lowry,  ensign  Boyd,  and  thirteen  of  the 
men  were  slain,  and  seventy  horses  were  either  carried  off  or  killed  by  the 
savages. 

Wayne  remained  at  Greenville  through  the  winter  and  spring  until  mid- 
summer (1794),  actively  preparing  for  his  campaign  against  the  savages.  He 
was  assiduous  in  drilling  his  men  according  to  a  plan  suggested  to  him  by 
Washington,  in  the  peculiar  tactics  necessary  to  fighting  the  Indians,  the  want 
of  which  had  been  so  disastrous  to  Harmar  and  St.  Clair.  The  men  were 
taught  to  load  when  running,  and  while  on  a  march  even  in  a  dense  forest,  to 
form  instantly  in  a  line  of  battle.  Instead  of  being  instructed  to  stand  in 
dense  order,  according  to  the  European  manner,  which  had  proved  so  fatal  to 
the  whites  in  previous  campaigns,  they  were  taught  to  form  in  extreme  open 
order,  and  in  such  a  way  as  to  prevent  them  from  being  outflanked. 

Wayn|  sent  forward,  twenty-three  miles  north  from  Greenville,  a  detach- 
ment of  troops  to  the  spot  where  St.  Clair  had  been  defeated  more  than  two 
years  previous.  The  bones  of  the  dead  were  thickly  strewn  around ;  although 
destitute  of  flesh,  yet  in  many  cases  the  sinews  still  held  them  together.  The 
bones  were  then  all  buried,  six  hundred  skulls  being  among  them.  This  mel- 
ancholy duty  performed,  they  erected  a  fortification  called  Fort  Recovery,  and 
garrisoned  it  with  two  companies.  On  the  30th  of  June,  a  severe  and  bloody 
battle  was  fought  under  the  walls  of  this  fort,  between  a  detachment  of  troops 
who  had  come  up  from  Greenville  writh  supplies,  consisting  of  ninety  riflemen 
and  fifty  dragoons,  under  Major  M'Mahon,  and  about  fifteen  hundred  Indians, 
aided  by  a  considerable  number  of  British  soldiers  and  Canadian  militia  from 
Detroit.  At  the  same  instant,  they  rushed  on  the  detachment  and  assailed 
the  fort  on  every  side  with  great  lury.  They  were  repulsed  with  a  heavy 
loss,  renewed  the  attack,  and  kept  it  up  through  the  entire  day.  The  next 
morning,  M'Mahon's  detachment  entered  the  fort,  when  they  again  assailed 
the  post  and  fought  with  desperation  during  the  day ;  but  owing  to  the  skill 
and  bravery  of  the  garrison,  were  eventually  compelled  to  retreat.  Their  loss 
was  very  great — more  than  double  what  they  experienced  at  the  defeat  of  St. 
Clair,  and  it  continued  to  be  severely  felt  by  them  fora  long  time  after.  The 
Indians  exposed  their  persons  in  an  unusual  degree,  and  were  determined  to 
conquer  or  perish.  Three  British  officers  were  present,  dressed  in  scarlet, 
who  encouraged  them  to  persevere.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  was  about 
fifty  in  killed  and  wounded  ;  among  the  former,  \vas  the  brave  Major  M'Mahon. 

In  the  latter  part  of  July,  Wayne  was  reinforced  by  sixteen  hundred 
mounted  Kentuckians  under  Gen.  Scott,  which  augmented  his  army  to  near 
four  thousand  strong.  All  things  being  in  readiness,  on  the  29th,  he  took  up 
his  line  of  march  for  an  attack  upon  the  Indians,  who  were  concentrated  upon 
the  Maumee  in  strong  force,  having  made  great  preparations  to  encounter 
their  invaders.  He  advanced  by  slow  and  regular  marches,  proceeding  with 
the  utmost  caution  to  guard  against  surprise.  The  army  generally  halted  and 
pitched  their  tents  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  and  the  ground  of  the 
encampment  being  previously  marked  out  by  the  surveyor,  each  company  for- 
tified in  front  of  its  position,  by  cutting  down  trees  and  erecting  a  breastwork, 
so  th  it  by  dark  a  complete  fortification  inclosed  the  camp. 

On  the  4th,  the  army  arrived  at  St.  Mary's  River,  forty-seven  miles  from 
Greenville,  where  they  erected  Fort  Adams,  garrisoned  it  with  one  hundred 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  171 

men,  and  then  resumed  its  march.  On  the  8th  of  August,  they  encamped  at 
the  junction  of  the  Au  Glaize  with  the  Maumee,  one  hundred  and  three  miles 
north  of  Greenville,  at  which  point  stood  some  of  the  finest  villages  of  the  In- 
dians, which  they  had  deserted  at  the  approach  of  the  troops.  Here  Wayne 
halted  several  days,  and  commenced  the  construction  of  Fort  Defiance,  on 
the  site  of  the  present  town  of  that  name.  While  there,  Wayne  received  full 
information  of  the  Indians,  and  the  assistance  they  were  to  derive  from  the 
volunteers  at  Detroit  and  vicinity.  On  the  13th  of  August,  true  to  the  spirit 
of  peace  advised  by  Washington,  he  sent  Christian  Miller,  who  had  been 
naturalized  among  the  Shawanese,  as  a  special  messenger  to  offer  terms  of 
friendship.  Impatient  of  delay,  he  moved  forward,  and  on  the  16th,  met  Mil- 
ler on  his  return  with  the  message,  that  if  the  Americans  would  wait  ten  days 
at  Grand  Glaize  (Fort  Defiance),  they,  the  Indians,  would  decide  for  peace 
f  or  war.  On  the  18th,  the  army  arrived  at  Roche  de  B&uf,  just  south  of  the 
site  of  Waterville,  where  they  erected  some  li^ht  works  as  a  place  of  deposit 
for  their  heavy  baggage,  which  was  named  Fort  Deposit.  During  the  19th, 
the  army  labored  at  their  works,  and  about  8  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
20th,  moved  forward  to  attack  the  Indians,  who  were  encamped  on  the  bank 
of  the  Maumee,  at  and  around  a  hill  called  "Presque  Isle,"  about  two  miles 
south  of  the  site  of  Maumee  City,  four  south  of  the  British  Fort  Miami,  and 
twelve  south  of  the  site  of  Toledo — all  of  the  above  being  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  river.  From  Wayne's  report  of  the  battle,  we  make  the  following 
extract : 

The  legion  was  on  the  right,  its  flank  covered  by  the  Maumee:  one  brigade 
of  mounted  volunteers  on  the  left,  under  Brig.  Gen.  Todd,  and  the  other  in 
the  rear,  under  Brig.  Gen.  Barbee.  A  select  battalion  of  mounted  volunteers 
moved  in  front  of  the  legion,  commanded  by  Major  Price,  who  was  directed 
to  keep  sufficiently  advanced,  so  as  to  give  timely  notice  for  the  troops  to 
form  in  case  of  action,  it  being  yet  undetermined  whether  the  Indians  would 
decide  for  peace  or  war. 

After  advancing  about  five  miles,  Major  Price's  corps  received  so  severe  a 
fire  from  the  enemy,  who  were  secreted  in  the  woods  and  high  grass,  as  to 
compel  them  to  retreat.  The  legion  was  immediately  formed  in  two  lines, 
principally  in  a  close  thick  wood,  which  extended  for  miles  on  our  left,  and 
for  a  very  considerable  distance  in  front ;  the  ground  being  covered  with  old 
fallen  timber,  probably  occasioned  by  a  tornado,  which  rendered  it  impracti- 
cable for  the  cavalry  to  act  with  effect,  and  afforded  the  enemy  the  most  favor- 
able covert  for  their  mode  of  warfare.  The  savages  were  formed  in  three 
lines,  within  supporting  distance  of  each  other,  and  extending  for  near  two 
miles  at  right  angles  with  the  river.  I  soon  discovered,  from  the  weight  of 
the  fire  and  extent  of  their  lines,  that  the  enemy  were  in  full  force  in  front,  in 
possession  of  their  favorite  ground,  and  endeavoring  to  turn  our  left  flank.  I 
therefore  gave  orders  for  the  second  line  to  advance  and  support  the  first ;  and 
directed  Major-General  Scott  to  gain  and  turn  the  right  flank  of  the  savages, 
with  the  whole  force  of  the  mounted  volunteers,  by  a  circuitous  route  ;  at  the 
same  time,  I  ordered  the  front  line  to  advance  and  charge  with  trailed  arms, 
and  rouse  the  Indians  from  their  coverts  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and 
when  up,  to  deliver  a  close  and  well-directed  fire  on  their  backs,  followed  by 
a  brisk  charge,  so  as  not  to  give  them  time  to  load  again. 

I  also  ordered  Captain  Mis  Campbell,  who  commanded  the  legionary  cav- 
alry, to  turn  the  left  flank  of  the  enemy  next  the  river,  and  which  afforded  a 
favorable  field  for  that  corps  to  act  in.  All  these  orders  were  obeyed  with 
spirit  and  promptitude ;  but  such  was  the  impetuosity  of  the  charge  by  the  first 
line  of  infantry,  that  the  Indians  and  Canadian  militia  and  volunteers  were 


172  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

driven  from  all  their  coverts  in  so  short  a  time,  that  although  every  possible 
exertion  was  used  by  the  officers  of  the  second  line  of  the  legion,  and  by  Gen. 
Scott,  Todd  and  Barbee,  of  the  mounted  volunteers,  to  gain  their  proper  positions, 
but  part  of  each  could  get  up  in  season  to  participate  in  the  action  ;  the  enemy 
being  driven,  in  the  course  of  one  hour,  more  than  two  miles  through  the  thick 
woods  already  mentioned,  by  less  than  one  half  their  numbers.  From  ever}- 
account,  the  enemy  amounted  to  two  thousand  combatants.  The  troops 
actually  engaged  against  them  were  short  of  nine  hundred.  This  horde  of 
savages,  with  their  allies,  abandoned  themselves  to  flight,  and  dispersed  with 
terror  and  dismay,  leaving  our  victorious  army  in  full  and  quiet  possession  of 
the  field  of  battle,  which  terminated  under  the  influence  of  the  guns  of  the 
British  garrison.* 

*  Wayne  received  very  essential  aid  during  the  campaign,  from  a  band  of  some  six  or  eight  spies, 
who  brought  in  at  different  times  more  than  twenty  prisoners,  beside  killing  many  of  the  enemy. 
Several  of  them  had  been  in  their  earlier  days,  taken  captive  by  the  Indians  and  adopted  and  brod 
by  them.  The  Indian  language  and  customs  were  as  familiar  to  them  as  that  of  the  whites.  Their 
commander  was  Capt.  Wm.  Wells,  who  had  been  taken  captive  while  a  child,  and  adopted  by  the 
famous  Little  Turtle.  In  the  defeat  of  St.  Clair,  Wells  commanded  a  large  body  of  warriors  with 
great  skill  and  effect.  A  short  time  after,  he  determined  to  abandon  the  savages,  and  announced 
this  determination  to  his  adopted  father  Little  Turtle,  one  morning  when  traversing  the  woods. 
Pointing  to  the  heavens,  he  said,  "When  the  sun  reaches  the  meridian,  I  leave  you  for  the  whites  ; 
and  whenever  you  meet  me  in  battle,  you  must  kill  me,  as  I  shall  endeavor  to  do  by  you."  This 
event  did  not  shake  the  bonds  of  intimacy  and  friendship  between  these  gifted  men.  Wells  soon 
after  joined  Wayne's  army,  and  by  his  intimacy  with  the  wilderness,  and  perfect  knowledge  of  the 
Indian  haunts,  habits  and  modes  of  Indian  warfare,  became  an  invaluable  auxiliary.  When  the 
war  was  over,  Wells  renewed  his  friendship  and  connection  with  Little  Turtle,  which  continued 
until  the  death  of  the  latter. 

Wells  was  killed  at  the  massacre  at  Chicago,  in  1812.  Not  wishing  to  fall  into  the  enemy's 
hands,  and  to  avoid  a  cruel  and  lingering  death,  he  wetted  powder  and  blacked  his  face,  as  a  token 
of  defiance,  mounted  his  horse  and  commenced  addressing  the  Indians  with  all  the  opprobrious 
and  insulting  language  he  could  think  of.  His  purpose  evidently  was  to  induce  them  to  dispatch 
him  forthwith.  His  object  was  accomplished.  They  became  so  enraged  at  last  with  his  taunts 
and  jeers,  that  one  of  them  shot  him  off  his  horse,  and  immediately  pouncing  upon  him,  cut  his 
body  open,  took  out  his  heart  and  eat  it.  The  Indians,  it  is  said,  also  drank  his  blood,  from  a  su- 
perstitious belief  that  they  should  thus  imbibe  his  warlike  endowments. 

Among  the  many  anecdotes  related  of  the  confidence  and  self-possession  of  Wells  and  his  spies, 
during  Wayne's  campaign,  is  the  following: 

While  Wayne's  army  lay  at  the  Indian  village  at  the  confluence  of  the  Auglaize  and  Maumee, 
building  Fort  Defiance,  the  general,  wishing  to  be  informed  of  the  intentions  of  the  enemy,  dis- 
patched Capt.  Wells'  party  to  bring  in  another  prisoner.  They  consisted  of  Wells,  M'Clellan,  the 
Millers,  May  and  Mahaffy.  They  proceeded  cautiously  down  the  Maumee  until  opposite  the  site 
of  Fort  Meigs,  where  was  an  Indian  village.  This  was  on  the  llth  of  August,  nine  days  before  the 
battle.  Wells  and  his  party,  disguised  as  Indians,  boldly  rode  into  this  town,  as  if  they  had  come 
from  the  British  fort,  and  occasionally  stopped  and  talked  with  the  Indians  in  their  language.  The 
savages  believed  them  to  be  Indians  from  a  distance,  who  had  come  to  take  a  part  in  the  expected 
buttle.  After  passing  through  the  village,  they  met,  some  distance  from  it,  an  Indian  man  and 
woman  on  horseback,  who  were  returning  to  town  from  hunting.  They  made  them  captives  with- 
out resistance,  and  set  off  for  Defiance. 

A  little  after  dark,  they  came  near  a  large  encampment  of  Indians,  merrily  amusing  themselves 
around  their  camp  fires.  Ordering  their  prisoners  to  be  silent,  under  pain  of  instant  death,  they 
went  around  the  camp  until  they  got  half  a  mile  above  it.  They  then  held  a  consultation,  tied  and 
gagged  their  prisoners,  and  rode  into  the  Indian  camp  with  their  rifles  lying  across  the  pummels 
of  their  saddles.  They  inquired  when  they  had  heard  last  of  Gen.  Wayne  and  the  movements  of 
his  army,  and  how  soon  and  where  they  expected  a  battle  would  be  fought  ?  The  Indians  standing 
about  Wells  and  his  party  were  very  communicative,  and  answered  the  questions  without  any  sus- 
picions of  deceit  in  their  visitors.  At  length  an  Indian,  who  was  sitting  at  some  distance,  said  in 
an  under-tone,  in  another  tongue,  to  some  who  were  near  him,  that  he  suspected  these  strangers 
had  some  mischief  in  their  heads.  Wells  overheard  it,  gave  the  preconcerted  signal,  and  each  tired 
his  rifle  into  the  body  of  an  Indian,  at  not  more  than  six  feet  distance.  The  moment  the  Indian 
had  made  the  remark,  he  and  his  companions  rose  up  with  their  rifles  in  hand,  but  not  before  each 
of  the  others  had  shot  their  man.  The  moment  after  Wells  and  party  had  fired,  they  put  spurs  to 
their  horses,  lying  with  their  breasts  on  their  animals'  necks,  so  as  to  lessen  the  mark  to  fire  at,  and 
before  they  had  got  out  of  the  light  of  the  camp  fires,  the  Indians  had  fired  upon  them.  As  Mc- 
Clellan  lay  in  this  position,  a  ball  entered  beneath  his  shoulder  blade  and  came  out  at  the  top  of  his 
shoulder  ;  Wells'  arm  was  broken  by  a  ball,  and  his  rifle  dropped  to  the  ground  ;  May  was  chased 
to  the  smooth  rock  in  the  Maumee,  where,  his  horse  failing,  he  was  taken  prisoner,  and  next  day 
«et  up  as  a  target  and  riddled  with  bullets.  The  rest  of  the  party  escaped  witnout  injury  and  rode 
full  speed  to  where  their  prisoners  were  confined,  and  putting  them  upon  horses,  continued  their  route. 


FRONTIER   LIFE—NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  173 

The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  more  than  that  of  the  federal  army.  The  woods 
were  strewed  for  a  considerable  distance  with  the  dead  bodies  of  Indians  and 
their  white  auxiliaries,  the  latter  armed  with  British  muskets  and  bayonets. 

We  remained  three  days  and  nights  on  the  banks  of  the  Maumee,  in  front 
of  the  field  of  battle,  during  which  time  all  the  houses  and  corn-fields  were 
consumed  and  destroyed  for  a  considerable  distance,  both  above  and  below 
Fort  Miami,  as  well  as  within  pistol-shot  of  the  garrison,  who  were  compelled 
to  remain  tacit  spectators  to  this  general  devastation  and  conflagration,  among 
which  were  the  houses,  stores  and  property  of  Colonel  M'Kee,  the  British 
Indian  agent  and  principal  stimulator  of  the  war  now  existing  between  the 
United  States  and  the  savages. 

The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  this  battle  was  thirty-three  killed  and  one 
hundred  wounded,  including  five  officers  among  the  killed,  and  nineteen 
wounded. 

One  of  the  Canadians  taken  in  the  action,  estimated  the  force  of  the  In- 
dians at  about  fourteen  hundred.  He  also  stated  that  about  seventy  Cana- 
dians wore  with  them,  and  that  Col.  M'Kee,  Capt.  Elliott,  and  Simon  Girty 
were  in  fcis  field,  but  at  a  respectable  distance,  and  near  the  river.  When 
the  broken  remains  of  the  Indian  army  were  pursued  under  the  British  fort, 
the  soldiers  could  scarce  be  restrained  from  storming  it.  This,  independent 
of  its  results  in  bringing  on  a  war  with  Great  Britain,  would  have  been  a 
desperate  measure,  as  the  fort  mounted  ten  pieces  of  artillery,  and  was  garri- 
soned by  four  hundred  and  fifty  men,  while  Wayne  had  no  armament  proper 
to  attack  such  a  strongly  fortified  place.  While  the  troops  remained  in  the 
vicinity,  there  did  not  appear  to  be  any  communication  between  the  garrison 
and  the  savages.  The  gates  were  shut  against  them,  and  their  rout  and 
slaughter  witnessed  with  apparent  unconcern  by  the  British.  That  the  In- 
dians were  astonished  at  the  lukewarmness  of  their  real  allies,  and  regarded 
the  fort,  in  case  of  defeat,  as  a  place  of  refuge,  is  evident  from  various  circum- 
stances, not  the  least  of  which  was  the  well  known  reproach  of  Tecumseh,  in 
his  celebrated  speech  to  Proctor,  after  Perry's  victory.  The  near  approach 
of  the  troops  drew  forth  a  letter  of  remonstrance  from  Major  Campbell,  the 
British  commandant,  to  General  Wayne.  A  sharp  correspondence  ensued, 
but  without  any  especial  results.  The  morning  before  the  army  left,  General 
Wayne,  after  arranging  his  force  in  such  a  manner  as  to  show  that  they  were 
all  on  the  alert,  advanced  with  his  numerous  staff  and  a  small  body  of  cavalry, 
to  the  glacis  of  the  British  fort,  reconnoitering  it  with  great  deliberation, 
while  the  garrison  were  seen  with  lighted  matches,  prepared  for  any  emer- 
gency. It  is  said  that  Wayne's  party  overheard  one  of  the  British  subordi- 
nate officers  appeal  to  Major  Campbell  for  permission  to  fire  upon  the  caval- 
cade, and  avenge  such  an  insulting  parade  under  his  majesty's  guns  ;  but  that 
officer  chided  him  with  the  abrupt  exclamation,  "  Be  a  gentleman  !  be  a 
gentleman  /"  On  the  27th,  Wayne's  army  returned  to  Fort  Defiance,  by 
easy  marches,  laying  waste  the  villages  and  corn-fields  of  the  Indians,  for 
about  fifty  miles  on  each  side  of  the  Maumee. 

Indian  Hostilities  in  the  Southwestern  Territory. — While  the  events  nar- 
rated in  the  previous  pages  of  this  article  were  transpiring  in  the  region  of  the 
Northwest  Territory,  the  pioneer  population  of  the  Southwestern  Territory, 
now  the  State  of  Tennessee,  suffered  from  the  hostilities  of  the  Cherokees 
and  Creeks.  As  early  as  1789,  murders  upon  the  inhabitants  of  that  territory 
had  become  quite  frequent.  To  conciliate  the  hostile  tribes,  Gov.  Blount 
(Superintendent  of  Indian  Affairs  for  the  general  government),  negotiated  with 
them  for  the  sale  of  their  lands,  and  the  adjustment  of  all  difficulties,  on  just 
terms.  Continuing  these  negotiations  through  the  years  1790  '91  he  was 
22 


I 


174  HISTORICAL   EVENTS-REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

enabled  to  keep  the  great  mass  of  these  powerful  nations  from  making  open 
war;  but  could  not  prevent  the  encroachment  of  emigrants  upon  their  lands, 
which  brought  on  a  partisan  warfare  on  the  frontier.  In  spite  of  his  perse- 
vering efforts,  these  two  nations,  in  the  early  part  of  1792,  were  making  pre- 
parations for  a  grand  invasion  and  destruction  of  the  settlements.  They  were 
secretly  supplied  with  arms  and  ammunition,  and  instigated  to  hostilities  by 
emissaries  of  Spain;  that  power  being  as  jealous  of  the  advance  of  the  Ameri- 
cans toward  their  settlements  in  the  South,  as  was  that  of  Britain  toward  theirs 
in  the  North. 

Attack  on  Buchanan's  Station. — These  scenes  of  partisan  warfare  con- 
tinued until  the  summer  of  1792,  when  Gov.  Blount  held  a  council  at  the 
farm  of  Gen.  James  Robertson,  with  the  Indians,  with  the  view,  on  the  part 
of  the  whites,  to  peace,  and  on  that  of  the  Cherokees,  as  subsequent  events 
seemed  to  confirm,  to  ascertain  the  vulnerable  points  of  the  whites. 

During  the  council,  one  of  the  chiefs  was  frequently  heard  to  say  that 
"before  the  leaves  fall  an  attack  would  be  made  on  the  white  settlements." 
This  intimation  had  the  effect  of  inducing  the  settlers  to  prepare  for  defense. 

Buchanan's  station  was  on  the  road  from  Nashville  to  the  Cherokee  nation, 
about  four  miles  from  the  former.  It  was  on  high  ground,  on  the  bank  of  a 
creek,  and  consisted  of  a  few  log  cabins,  surrounded  by  a  slender  picket. 
Major  Buchanan  invited  several  of  the  Cherokee  chiefs  to  his  home,  where 
he  entertained  them  with  hospitality.  They  carefully  examined  the  fort,  and 
its  means  of  resistance,  and  several  times  carelessly  remarked  that  "such  a 
fort  could  afford  but  little  protection." 

About  the  beginning  of  September,  Joseph  Durat,  a  Frenchman  who  had 
resided  among  the  Indians,  and  Richard  Fennelstone,  a  half-breed  Cherokee, 
arrived  from  the  Cherokee  nation,  and  communicated  the  intelligence  that 
they  intended  to  attack  Buchanan's  station  on  or  about  the  10th  September, 
and  then  fill  upon  the  other  stations  in  the  neighborhood,  and  upon  Nashville. 
On  receiving  this  information,  Gen.  Robertson  ordered  the  militia  to  assemble 
at  Rains',  about  two  miles  south  of  Nashville,  when  about  three  hundred 
men,  nearly  the  whole  effective  force  of  the  district,  assembled.  To  ascer- 
tain the  truth  of  the  report  of  Durat,  and  be  apprised  in  time  of  the  approach 
of  the  enemy,  Abraham  Castleman,  a  man  of  bold  and  daring  spirit,  was  sen 
out  as  a  spy.  He  proceeded  cautiously  to  the  "Black  Fox  Camp,"  near  the 
site  of  Murfreesboro',  and  having  discovered  Indian  traces,  returned.  This 
tended  to  confirm  the  report ;  but  as  the  time  mentioned  for  the  attacks  had 
elapsed,  and  as  Watts,  the  Cherokee  chief,  had  repeatedly  assured  Governor 
Blount  of  his  peaceable  intentions,  the  apprehensions  of  the  settlers  were 
quieted,  and  the  militia  disbanded.  Two  men  had  been  dispatched  as  scouts, 
who  started  toward  the  Cherokee  nation,  on  what  was  called  Taylor's  trace. 
A  few  miles  south  of  the  station  they  met  the  advancing  enemy,  and  fell  vic- 
tims to  the  tomahawk.  The  Indians  secretly  advanced,  and  at  midnight  on 
the  30th  September,  their  force,  consisting  of  about  eight  hundred  warriors, 
appeared  before  Buchanan's  station. 

This  formidable  body  was  commanded  by  Watts,  a  half-breed  Cherokee,  a 
chief  of  noble  and  commanding  person,  who  had  given  many  proofs  of  mag 
nanimity  and  humanity  in  his  wars  with  the  whites,  and  a  distinguished  chief 
of  the  Shawanees,  whose  name  is  not  recollected.  The  first  intimation  the 
inmates  of  the  fort  had  of  their  approach,  was  from  the  barking  of  the  dogs. 
Two  men  in  a  blockhouse,  awakened  by  the  noise,  looked  out,  and  distinctly 
saw  approaching,  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  about  sixty  Indians.  Undismay- 
ed by  their  numbers,  they  fired  upon  them;  the  Indians  returned  the  fire,  and 
the  woods  resounded  with  the  war-whoop.  This  roused  the  remainder  of  the 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETOiHf  175 

little  garrison,  consisting  of  but  twenty  men,  and  several  women  and  <  hildron. 
Each  man  flew  to  his  post,  determined  to  repulse  the  enemy  or  die.  The 
women,  not  less  resolute,  determined  to  share  the  glory  of  the  defense  with 
their  fathers,  husbands,  and  brothers.  The  wife  of  Maj.  Buchanan  was  par- 
ticularly distinguished.  The  Indians,  relying  on  their  superiority,  soon  sur- 
rounded the  fort,  in  certain  expectation  of  compelling  a  surrender;  they  ap- 
proached so  near  that  they  fired  into  the  port-holes,  and  several  times  attempted 
to  set  fire  to  one  of  the  block-houses.  For  a  moment  this  little  garrison 
thought  all  was  lost.  Determined,  however,  to  sell  their  lives  as  dearly  as 
possible,  they  kept  up  a  vigorous  fire,  and  many  of  the  assailants  were  seen 
to  fall.  The  attack  and  defense  were  continued  for  about  an  hour,  when  the 
Shawanee  chief  was  killed,  and  Watts  severely  wounded.  The  face  of  affairs 
now  changed;  dispirited  by  the  death  of  the  Shawanee  chief,  and  the  wound 
of  Watts,  the  Indians  precipitately  retreated.  At  a  treaty  held  subsequently, 
Watts  admitted  their  loss  to  have  been  thirty  killed,  and  a  number  woundecl. 
In  the  fort,  not  one  was  killed,  and  but  two  wounded.  In  consequence  of 
this  signal  repulse  and  defeat,  the  intended  attack  upon  Nashville,  and  the 
neighboring  fort,  was  abandoned. 

The  succeeding  year  (1793),  the  Indians  so  infested  the  settlements  with 
their  scouting  parties,  that  the  walls  of  the  stockades  were  the  only  places 
of  security.  In  the  military  operations  undertaken  this  year  against  the  In- 
dians, Gen.  Sevier  became  greatly  distinguished.  The  savages,  however, 
usually  avoided  a  general  engagement,  relying  mainly  upon  their  small  parties, 
to  harass  the  settlers,  and  were  kept  somewhat  in  awe  by  the  formidable  pre- 
parations of  Wayne  in  the  north. 

The  next  year  an  important  exhibition  was  undertaken  against  the  Nicka- 
jack  towns  on  the  Tennessee,  one  of  the  principal  sources  of  mischief  to  the 
whites.  Their  villages  were  destroyed,  and  a  few  months  after  the  Indians 
sued  for  peace.* 


*The  annexed  account  of  tlie  Nickajack  Campaign  was  orally  communicated  to  us  in  the  spring 
of  1850,  by  James  Collier,  Esq.,  of  Xenia,  Ohio,  who  was  one  of  the  fpies  on  this  expedition. 

The  Nickajack  Campaign. — The  Ch-rokee  nation  generally  respected  the  treaty  of  Holston,  made 
on  the  site  of  Knoxville,  in  July,  17!)1.  A  minority  only  were  (assatisfied  with  it,  and  refused  to 
acquiesce  in  its  teinis.  Separating  from  the  rest,  they  settled  on  the  Chikarnauga,  and  became 
known  as  the  Chiekainauga.  Indians.  From  this  branch  of  the  tribe  mainly  originated  all  the 
depredations  and  murders  subsequently  committed  upon  the  settlements  in  Tennessee,  a  fact  which 
appears  to  have  been  entirely  lost  sight  of  by  writers  of  that  period. 

A  branch  of  the  Chickarmiugas  settled  the  Nickajack  towns.  They  were  three  in  number,  and 
fituated  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Tennessee,  about  fifty  miles  above  the  site  of  Huntsville.  The 
lower  town,  name  not  recollected,  contained  about  twenty  houses;  two  miles  above,  stood  Nicka- 
jack, containing  about  two  hundred  dwellings,  and  Running  Water,  which  was  larger  still,  was 
ne.ir  five  miles  above  Nickajack.  These  villages  indicated  considerable  civilization:  the  houses 
were  principally  built  of  round  logs,  and  covered  with  split  boards  and  fine  bark:  within,  at  the  end 
of  each  dwelling  was  a  fire-place.  The  council-house,  which  was  at  Running  Water,  was  a  regular 
circle,  of  sixty  or  seventy  feet  diameter,  with  a  conical  roof  running  up  to  a  point,  and  the  whole 
was  covered  with  bark.  The  towns  were  surrounded  by  potatoe  and  corn-fields,  peach-orcharda 
and  melon-patches.  Their  sites  were  pleasant,  and  that  of  Running  Water  of  unusual  natural 
beauty. 

In  the  year  1794,  the  depredations  of  the  Nickajack  Indians  had  excited  so  much  alarm,  that 
some  of  the  leading  men  of  the  country  saw  the  necessity  of  punishing  them.  Col.  William 
Wliitley,  of  Lincoln  county,  Kentuckv,  whose  residence  was  near  the  Crab  Orchard  settlement, 
originated  the  plan  of  the  invasion  of  their  towns.  After  Gen.  Scott  had  raised  a  force  to  joia 
Wayne,  Whitley  put  this  plan  into  execution,  corresponding  for  the  purpose  with  Gen.  James 
Robertson,  of  Middle  Tennessee,  and  Col.  John  Orr,  of  East  Tennessee;  the  latter  of  whom  com- 
manded at  the  time  a  company  of  U.  S.  Rangers,  under_  the  general  control  of  William  Blount, 
governor  of  the  Southwest  Territory.  Their  preparatory  measures  were  conducted  with  great 
secrecy,  for  it  was  feared  that  Gov.  Blount,  had  it  come  to  his  knowledge,  would  have  frustrated 
the  expedition,  under  the  apprehension  that  the  friendly  Cherokees  would  have  suffered. 

On  the  20th  of  August,  a  day  memorable  as  that  of  Wayne's  victory,  Whitley  left  home  for 
Nashville,  the  point  of  rendezvous,  with  a  small  body  of  Kentuckians,  which,  by  the  time  they 
iial  a^ived  at  the  borders  of  the  State,  had  augmented  to  one  hundred  and  twenty.  At  Nashville 


176  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

In  the  north,  the  effect  of  Wayne's  victory  was  crushing  to  the  hopes  of 
the  Indians.  The  destruction  of  their  towns  and  their  vast  fields  of  corn, 
which  spread  along  the  banks  of  the  Maumee  and  Auglaize  for  over  fifty 
miles,  reduced  them  to  great  privation  and  suffering,  and  they  were  compelled 
to  sue  for  peace.  Had  Wayne  been  defeated,  it  is  believed  that  the  northern 

they  were  joined  by  Orr,  with  his  company  of  Rangers,  numbering  sixty-two  men.  In  a  few  daya 
their  ranks  were  increased  to  six  hundred  men,  all  volunteers.  About  the  6th  of  September  the 
expedition  left  Nashville,  and  the  day  after  organized  by  the  choice  of  Col.  Whitley  as  commandant, 
with  Col.  John  Orr  and  Col.  John  Montgomery  next  under  him.  Richard  FenneUon,  a  half-breed, 
acted  as  guide. 

At  that  time  I  was  about  twenty  years  of  age,  having  come  on  by  invitation  from  Col.  Whitley, 
who  resided  in  my  vicinity.  Upon  organizing,  Alex.  McFarland  and  Jesse  Gray,  two  old  hunters 
and  Indian  fighters,  were  selected  as  spies,  who,  in  turn,  being  allowed  to  select  a  third,  chose  me. 
We  three  daily  kept  in  advance,  looking  out  for  signs,  and  at  night  returning  to  camp.  The  troops 
were  mainly  on  horseback,  and  attired  in  hunting-shirts.  Their  provisions  were  principally  bacon 
and  corn-meal,  some  of  it  parched.  At  night  the  horses  were  hoppled  out  to  grass,  and  the  meu 
lay  on  their  blankets  in  the  open  air. 

On  the  night  of  the  llth,  the  army  arrived  at  a  beautiful  spring,  the  largest  I  ever  saw,  on  what 
(I  believe)  is  the  site  of  Huntsville.  We  were  then  fifty  miles  below  the  crossing  place  of  the 
Tennessee,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Nickajack  towns.  At  midnight  of  the  12th,  the  troops  reached 
the  crossing  place.  Great  confusion  prevailed,  for  as  the  night  was  very  dark,  many  of  the  men  in 
consequence  had  become  deadly  sick  from  riding  on  horseback.  The  only  means  which  we  brought 
with  us  to  cross  the  stream,  which  was  high  and  wide  from  recent  rains,  were  two  ox-hide  boats. 
These  had  been  transported  on  horseback,  and  being  stiff  and  unwieldy,  were  first  soaked,  and  then 
stretched  on  poles  and  launched.  They  were  square,  box-like  in  shape,  and  held  each  from  two  to 
four  men.  Several  rafts  were  constructed  on  the  spot. 

By  sunrise,  two  hundred  and  forty  men  having  succeeded  in  crossing,  it  was  thought  best  to  push 
on,  leaving  the  others,  who  did  not  cross  at  ail,aud  were  consequently  not  participators  in  the  scenes 
about  to  be  related. 

After  proceeding  about  five  miles,  they  came  into  the  vicinity  of  the  lower  and  smaller  towns, 
where  fifteen  men  were  placed  in  ambush  until  they  heard  the  attack  above,  while  the  main  body, 
making  a  detour,  marched  on.  When  in  sight  of  Nickajack,  they  formed  for  the  attack  in  three 
divisions,  the  right,  center,  and  left,  being  respectively  under  Whitley,  Orr,  and  Montgomery  The 
last,  first  came  within  firing  distance,  and  soon  all  were  warmly  engaged.  The  poor  Indians  were 
taken  completely  by  surprise,  and  made  little  or  no  resistance.  Indeed,  it  was  a  massacre.  Large 
numbers  rushed  to  their  canoes  to  escape,  and  so  many  were  shot  that  the  stream  was  crimsoned 
with  their  blood.  The  Indians  having  been  killed  and  dispersed,  and  their  women  and  children 
taken  prisoners,  their  houses  were  committed  to  the  flames. 

When  the  melee  was  about  over,  several  of  us  tried  to  shoot  an  Indian  who  was  escaping  in  a  canoe 
down  the  river.  He  was  lying  nearly  flat,  with  his  arms  only  showing  over  the  sides,  vigorously 
paddling  for  life,  and  our  shots  failed;  but  Col.  Whitley  coming  up  said,  "  let  me  try."  I  watched 
his  shot,  and  instantly  saw  the  blood  spout  out  of  his  shoulder.  Subsequently  Joseph  Brown  swam 
out  to  the  canoe,  and  as  he  was  approaching,  the  Indian  entreated  him  to  spare  his  life,  •«  for,"  said 
he,  "I'm  a  Cherokee."  Brown,  who  had  been  two  years  a  prisoner  at  Nickajack,  and  understood 
their  language,  inquired  "  what  were  you  doing  at  Nickajack?"  "  To  visit  some  friends,"  was  the 
reply.  Brown  then  tomahawked  him. 

I  was  amused  at  an  incident  that  I  witnessed  between  a  large,  powerful  squaw  and  the  famous 
Joe  Logston.  She  had  secreted  herself  in  the  brush.  Joe,  on  attempting  to  take  her  prisoner,  en- 
countered most  furious  resistance.  She  fought  like  a  tigress,  while  he,  disdaining  to  resort  to  blows 
had  great  difficulty  in  overcoming  her. 

Colting»worth,one  of  our  men,  related  to  me  an  affecting  incident.  Entering  one  of  the  houses 
he  saw  an  Indiuu  mother  lying  dead  on  the  floor,  over  whose  corpse  was  crawling  an  infant  of  tei 
or  twelve  mouths  old,  with  its  bowels  hanging  out  from  a  wound  in  the  abdomen.  He  was  horri- 
fied at  the  »Jght,  and  for  a  moment  debated  with  himself  what  was  best  to  be  done;  then  deciding 
as  an  act  of  mercy,  he  put  his  rifle  to  its  head,  and  blew  out  its  brains. 

At  the  lower  town,  those  in  arnbush  saw  a  beautiful  Indian  maiden  beating  hominy  in  a  mortar 
outside  of  a  cabin.  In  a  frw  momenta  she  was  joined  by  a  young  man,  probably  her  lover,  who 
placed  his  arms  around  her  waist,  playfully  slung  her  about,  and  then  assisted  her  with  the  pestle. 
While  engaged  in  this  sort  of  dalliance,  and  unsuspicious  of  danger,  the  firing  was  heard  at  Nicka- 
jack, and  tli. -ii  ti:--  party  here  fired,  and  the  Indian  lover  fell  a  corpse  beside  his  dusky  sweetheart 
The  maiden  was  captured;  but  the  parly  finding  resistance  likely  to  be  desperate,  retreated  to 
Nickitjack. 

Imm.-tii.it.'ly  after  shooting  the  Indian  in  the  canoe,  Whitley  said  to  the  group  around  him,  that 
they  must  proceed  without  delay  to  the  upper  town,  lest  the  Indians  might  make  a  stand  at  the 
Gap,  midway  between  the  villages,  and  prevent  their  passage.  Starting  with  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
men,  they  hastened  toward  Ruuning  Water.  A  few  Indians  were  in  ambush  at  the  Gap;  but  after 
the  exchange  of  a  few  shots,  the  latter  retreated  with  slight  loss.  Being  joined  at  the  Gap  by  more 
men,  the  party,  among  whom  I  was  one,  numbering  less  than  forty  in  all,  proceeded  to  Running 
Water.  As  we  neared  the  t>wn,  the  Indians  were  discovered  in  great  numbers  escaping  across  the 
river  hi  their  canoes,  and  on  our  arrival  there,  we  fouud  it  entirely  deserted,  and  nothing  was  left 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES  ETC.  177 

and  southern  Indians,  respectively  incited  by  British  and  Spanish  emissaries, 
would  have  united  in  one  grand  confederacy,  for  the  extermination  of  all  the 
settlements  west  of  the  mountains. 

On  the  3d  of  August,  1795,  Wayne  concluded  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the 
Northwest  tribes  at  Greenville,  in  Grand  Council  assembled.  The  negotia- 
tions lasted  over  six  weeks,  during  which,  over  one  thousand  Indians  were 
assembled,  among  whom  were  the  chiefs  most  noted  for  bravery  and  elo- 
quence. On  this  occasion,  the  Indians  ratified  the  concessions  of  land  made 
at  the  treaties  of  Forts  M'Intosh  and  Harmar,  including  several  other  grants. 
It  was  a  most  important  era  in  the  history  of  the  west,  which,  for  nearly  half 
a  century,  had  been  the  theater  of  almost  continuous  Indian  wars,  it  filled 
the  whole  nation  with  rejoicing,  and  gave  a  great  impetus  to  the  settlement 
of  the  West. 


FRENCH  AND  SPANISH  INTRIGUES-PLANS  TO  ERECT  AN  INDEPENDENT  GOVERN- 
MENT IN  THE  WEST. 

Ix  the  spring  of  1793,  Genet,  the  French  minister,  arrived  in  this  country, 
and  was  received  with  great  enthusiasm  by  the  people  who  sympathized  with 
the  new  republic  of  France.  He  at  once  began  a  series  of  intrigues  to  in- 
volve the  United  States  in  a  war  with  the  enemies  of  France.  He  proceeded 
to  arm  and  equip  privateers,  and  to  enlist  crews  in  the  American  ports  to 
cruise  against  the  commerce  of  England  and  Spain,  as  if  this  country  were 
openly  at  war  with  those  powers.  At  that  time,  democratic  societies,  in  imi- 
tation of  the  Jacobin  Clubs  of  France,  had  been  established  in  Kentucky. 
Their  spirit  was  anti-federal.  The  failure  to  secure  from  Spain  the  free  navi- 
gation of  the  Mississippi,  the  excise  upon  distilled  liquors,  the  Indian  war, 
what  was  considered  the  base  truckling  to  England,  and  the  still  baser  deser- 
tion of  France  in  her  terrible  struggles  with  the  leagued  despotism  of  Europe, 
all  became  subjects  of  passionate  declamation  in  the  clubs  and  violent  invec- 
tives in  the  papers.  The  protracted  negotiation  with  Spain,  relative  to  the 
navigation  of  the  Mississippi,  which  was  then  in  her  dominions,  had  not 
been  closed.  The  people  of  the  west  were  jealous  upon  that  subject,  and  dis- 
trustful of  the  intentions  of  the  Federal  Government.  It  was  rumored  that 
government  was  about  to  form  an  alliance  with  England,  that  hated  power, 
against  their  beloved  France,  and  that  the  old  project  of  giving  up  to  Spain 
the  sole  right  of  navigating  the  Mississippi  was  to  be  revived. 

Aware  of  this  deep  feeling  against  the  Federal  Government,  Genet  sent  four 
French  agents  to  Kentucky  to  enlist  an  army  of  two  thousand  men,  under  the 
banners  of  France,  to  descend  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  in  boats,  and  attack, 
conquer  and  bring  the  Spanish  settlements  under  the  dominion  of  France. 
These  emissaries  found  their  plans  met  with  the  warmest  approbation,  and 
some  of  the  leading  men  in  Kentucky  enlisted  in  the  cause,  among  whom  was 

for  us  but  to  commit  their  dwellings  to  the  flames.  To  prevent  their  being  tracked  by  the  dogs, 
the  Indians,  on  leaving,  shut  them  in  their  cabins,  and  when  they  were  burut,  they  filled  the  air 
with  their  howlings. 

Our  troops  re-crossed  the  river  at  a  late  hour  the  same  night,  and  on  the  14th  commenced  our 
return  march.  When  in  the  barrens  of  Green  River,  we  learned  the  news  of  Wayne's  victory 
from  a  party  of  Chickasaws. 

Our  loss  in  this  campaign  was  trifling,  we  having  two  men  wounded,  viz.:  Luke  Anderson,  slightly 
in  the  leg,  and  iS.  Donaldson  in  the  heel:  he  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Gen.  Jackson,  and  was  sup- 
posed to  have  been  shot  by  our  own  men.  We  killed  about  one  hundred  and  forty  Indians,  and 
brought  in  seventeen  prisoners,  all  females,  except  two  boys.  They  were  subsequently  exchanged 
for  white  prisoners.  The  results  of  this  campaign  were  important.  It  stopped  the  murders  by  tin 
Indians,  aud  in  a  few  mouths  thereafter,  the  Chickamaugas  sued  for  peace. 


178  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

General  Geo.  Rogers  Clarke,  who  was  thereupon  commissioned  Major  Gene, 
ral  in  the  French  service.  The  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  forever 
would  be  the  only  direct  benefit  accruing  to  Kentucky,  but  French  pay, 
French  rank,  and  magnificent  donations  of  land  in  the  conquered  provinces, 
were  the  allurements  held  out  to  private  adventurers. 

President  Washington,  acting  under  information  from  the  minister  of  the 
king  of  Spain,  used  his  efforts  to  suppress  these  movements.  In  consequence, 
General  Wayne,  whose  cavalry  was  then  wintering  in  Kentucky,  wrote  to  . 
Gov.  Shelby,  that  he  should,  by  force  of  arms,  repress  any  illegal  expedition 
from  Kentucky.  The  Governor,  in  his  reply  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  said 
that  he  doubted  if  this  could  be  legally  done,  for  if  it  wras  lawful  for  one  citi- 
zen to  leave  a  jState,  it  was  equally  so  for  any  number.  Again  he  said, 
"  Much  less  would  I  assume  power  to  exercise  it  against  men  whom  I  con- 
sider as  friends  and  brethren,  in  favor  of  a  man  whom  I  view  as  an  enemy 
and  a  tyrant;  I  shall  also  feel  but  little  inclination  to  take  an  active  part  in 
punishing  or  restraining  my  fellow-citizens  for  a  supposed  intention  only,  to 
gratify  or  remove  the  fears  of  the  minister  of  a  prince  who  openly  withholds 
from  us  an  invaluable  right,  and  who  secretly  instigates  against  us  a  most 
savage  and  cruel  enemy." 

These  sentiments  were  prevalent  among  a  vast  majority  of  all  classes  of  citi- 
zens. Upon  receiving  this  answer,  Washington,  justly  alarmed,  ordered  Gen. 
Wayne  to  occupy  Fort  Massac,  which  stood  on  the  Ohio  River,  in  the  Illi- 
nois country,  with  his  artillery,  and  to  take  other  necessary  steps  to  arrest 
this  rash  .expedition. 

In  the  meantime,  the  democratic  societies  resorted  to  every  method  of  in- 
flaming the  popular  mind  upon  the  subject  of  the  navigation  of  the  Mississip- 
pi, and  the  jealousy  of  the  east,  which  they  contended  was  the  true  cause  of 
the  failure  of  the  general  government  to  procure  it  for  them.  They  had  in- 
vited  a  general  meeting  of  the  people  in  Lexington,  in  the  spring  of  1794, 
where  resolutions  were  adopted  of  a  violent  character,  breathing  the  deepest 
hostility  to  the  general  government,  and  recommending  the  election  of  county 
delegates  to  a  convention,  whose  object  was  not  precisely  defined,  but  which 
looked  like  a  plan  for  separating  from  the  east  and  erecting  an  independent 
government  west  of  the  mountains.  At  this  juncture,  the  intelligence  arrived 
of  the  recall  of  Genet  and  the  disavowal  of  his  acts,  by  the  French  Republic, 
although  in  truth,  he  had  but  conformed  with  their  secret  instructions.  This 
ended  the  project.  4 

About  this  period,  the  Spanish  authorities  attempted  an  intrigue  with 
Wilkinson,  Sebastian,  Innis  and  Nicholas,  all  prominent  men  of  Kentucky. 
From  1787,  when  Wilkinson  made  his  first  trip  to  New  Orleans,  until  he 
took  part  in  the  Indian  war  in  1791,  he  held  constant  intercourse  with  the 
Spanish  provinces ;  but  whether  his  plan?  reached  only  so  far  as  to  form  a 
commercial  treaty  with  those  provinces  that  would  secure  the  navigation  of 
tb*  Mississippi  to  the  west,  or  contemplated  a  disunion  of  the  west  from  the 
east,  is  yet  in  doubt.  He,  however,  in  1808,  and  again  in  1811,  was  tried 
before  a  court  martial  on  a  charge  of  having  received  a  pension  from  Spain, 
in  consideration  of  his  turning  traitor  and  effecting  a  disunion  of  the  States, 
but  was  triumphantly  acquitted. 

In  the  summer  of  1797,  Thomas  Powers,  agent  for  Carondelet,  Governor 
of  the  Spinish  provinces,  came  to  Kentucky  from  Louisiana,  and  sent  a  com- 
munication to  Sebastian,  for  his  consideration,  and  that  of  Nicholas,  Innis, 
Murray,  and  others  whom  they  might  see  fit  to  consult  upon  the  subject. 
This  paper  embodied  a  plan  by  which  the  west  was  to  rebel  and  declare  its 
independence  of  the  Union,  and  form  a  government  wholly  independent  of 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  179 

tlie  Atlantic  States.  The  sum  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  twenty  field 
pieces,  and  other  munitions  of  war,  were  to  be  supplied  by  his  Catholic  Ma- 
jesty. Fort  Massac  was  to  be  seized  instantly,  and  the  federal  troops  to  be 
dispossessed  of  all  posts  upon  the  western  waters.  In  the  event  of  their  suc- 
cess in  establishing  a  new  government,  that  of  Spain  was  to  grant  them 
especial  commercial  privileges,  and  the  idea  was  held  out  that  that  govern- 
ment would  not  respect  the  treaty  of  1795,  which  gave  to  the  United  States 
the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi.  Innis  and  Nicholas  replied  coldly  to 
these  overtures.  It  is  not  known  whether  Sebastian  signed  this  reply;  but  it 
was  proved  afterward,  in  1806,  before  the  Kentucky  Legislature,  that  he  had 
for  years  received  a  pension  of  two  thousand  dollars  from  the  Spanish  govern- 
« lent,  and  considered  guilty  of  holding  treasonable  intercourse  with  her  agents. 


THE  WHISKY  INSURRECTION. 

IN  the  year  1791  Congress  enacted  laws  laying  duties  upon  spirits  distilled 
in  the  United  States,  and  upon  stills.  From  the  very  commencement  of  the 
operation  of  these  laws,  combinations  were  formed  in  the  four  western  coun- 
ties of  Pennsylvania,  to  defeat  them,  and  violences  were  repeatedly  committed. 
The  western  insurgents  followed,  as  they  supposed,  the  example  of  the  Ame- 
rican revolution  in  opposing  an  excise  law.  Distilling  was  then  considered 
a  reputable  business,  and  was  very  extensively  carried  on  in  western  Penn- 
sylvania. Rye,  their  principal  crop,  was  too  bulky  to  transport  across  the 
mountains ;  therefore,  having  no  market  for  it,  they  were  obliged  to  convert 
it  into  the  more  easily  transported  article  of  whisky,  which  was  their  princi- 
pal item  to  pay  for  their  salt,  sugar  and  iron.  They  had  cultivated  their 
lands  for  years,  at  the  peril  of  their  lives,  with  little  or  no  protection  from  the 
federal  government,  and  when  at  last  they  were  enabled  to  raise  a  little  sur- 
plus grain,  to  meet  their  expenses  of  living,  they  were  met  by  a  law  which 
forbade  them  doing  as  they  pleased  with  the  fruits  of  their  labor?.  In  effect, 
it  was  as  bad  as  a  government  tax  on  wheat  would  be  at  the  present  day  to 
the  western  farmer. 

The  indignation  of  the  people  at  this  law  was  universal.  Public  meetings 
were  held,  composed  of  the  most  influential  men,  denouncing  the  law  and 
resolutions  passed  recommending  the  public  to  treat  all  persons  holding 
the  office  of  collector  of  the  tax  with  contempt.  The  tax  collectors  were 
subjected  to  all  sorts  of  indignities  from  the  populace.  In  September,  1791, 
Robert  Johnson,  the  collector  for  Alleghany  and  Washington,  was  waylaid, 
dragged  from  his  horse,  his  hair  cut  off,  and  he  was  tarred  and  feathered.  The 
officer  sent  to  serve  the  process  against  these  offenders  was  treated  in  a  similar 
manner.  The  next  month  a  man  named  Wilson  was  torn  from  his  bed  by  per- 
sons in  disguise,  carried  several  miles  to  a  blacksmith's  shop,  stripped  naked, 
burnt  with  a  red-hot  iron,  and  covered  with  a  coat  of  tar  and  feathers.  Not 
long  after  one  Rosebury  was  tarred  and  feathered  for  speaking  in  favor  of  the 
law. 

Congress,  in  May,  1792,  passed  material  modifications  to  the  law,  but  all 
to  no  purpose.  The  excitement  increased ;  not  only  were  collectors  visited 
with  violence,  but  those  distillers  who  complied  with  the  law.  The  adver- 
saries of  the  law  went  so  far  as  to  burn  the  barns  and  tear  down  the  houses 
of  the  collectors  and  others,  and  threaten  with  death  those  who  should  dis- 
close their  names.  So  strong  was  the  public  feeling  that  one  word  in  favor 
of  the  law  was  enough  to  ruin  any  man.  It  was  considered  as  a  badge  ot 


jyO  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

toryism.  No  clergyman,  physician,  lawyer,  nor  merchant,  was  sustained  by 
the  people  unless  his  sentiments  were  in  opposition. 

On  the  16th  of  July,  1794,  a  band  of  about  forty  individuals  attacked  the 
mansion  of  Gen.  John  Neville,  chief  inspector  of  western  Pennsylvania, 
situated  seven  miles  southwest  of  Pittsburgh.  It  was  defended  by  Major 
Kirkpatrick,  with  eleven  men  from  the  garrison  at  Pittsburgh.  The  attack 
was  previously  made  with  small  arms,  and  fire  having  being  set  to  the  house 
the  garrison  were  obliged  to  surrender.  One  of  the  insurgents  was  killed. 

Gen.  Neville  was  one  of  the  most  zealous  patriots  of  the  revolution,  and  a 
.man  of  great  wealth  and  unbounded  benevolence.  During  the  "  starving 
years"  of  the  early  settlements  in  that  region,  he  had  largely  contributed  to 
the  necessities  of  the  suffering  pioneers  ;  and,  when  necessary,  he  had  divided 
his  last  loaf  with  the  needy.  In  accepting  the  office  he  was  governed  by  a 
sense  of  public  duty.  It  was  done  at  the  hazard  of  his  life  and  the  loss  of 
all  his  property.  All  his  revolutionary  services,  his  great  popularity  were 
insufficient  to  shield  him  from  public  indignation,  and  his  hospitable  mansion 
was  consumed  to  ashes  in  the  presence  of  hundreds  who  had  shared  his 
bounty  or  had  enjoyed  his  benevolence. 

Insubordination  everywhere  prevailed;  all  law  was  disregarded;  the  peace- 
able members  of  society  became  obnoxious  to  the  mob  and  their  adherents .; 
the  mail  was  boldly  robbed,  and  disclosed  letters  which  added  new  victims  to 
the  lawless  rage ;  the  United  States  marshal  was  compelled  to  escape  for  his 
life  down  the  Ohio. 

At  length,  so  dangerous  had  become  the  state  of  affairs,  that  President 
.  .Washington,  on  the  7th  August  (1794)  issued  a  proclamation,  commanding 
the  insurgents  to  disperse,  and  warning  all  persons  against  abetting,  aiding  or 
comforting  the  perpetrators  of  these  treasonable  acts,  and  requiring  all  officers 
and  other  citizens,  according  to  their  respective  duties  and  the  laws  of  the 
land,  to  exert  their  utmost  endeavors  to  prevent  and  suppress  such  dangerous 
proceedings. 

Washington  having  ordered  out  15,000  militia  from  the  adjoining  States, 
proceeded,  in  October,  to  Bedford,  whence  he  gave  out  instructions  to  Gen. 
Lee,  of  Virginia,  who  marched  his  troops  to  Pittsburgh.  On  their  approach 
the  insurgents  were  awed  into  submission  to  the  law.  In  the  spring  succeed- 
ing a  part  of  the  military,  who  had  remained  at  Pittsburgh  through  the  win- 
ter, under  Gen.  Morgan,  returned:  order  had  been  fully  restored,  and  the  law 
acquiesced  in.  Some  of  the  insurgents  were  imprisoned  for  nearly  a  year. 


FRONTIER  DESPERADOES. 

THERE  are  two  states  of  society  perhaps  equally  bad  for  the  promotion  of 
good  morals  and  virtue, — the  desely  populated  city  and  the  wilderness.  In 
the  former,  a  single  individual  loses  his  identity  in  the  mass,  and  being  un- 
noticed, is  without  the  view  of  the  public,  and  can,  to  a  certain  extent,  com- 
mit crimes  with  impunity.  In  the  latter,  the  population  is  sparse,  and  the 
strong  arm  of  the  law  not  being  extended,  his  crimes  are,  in  a  measure,  un- 
observed, or  if  so,  frequently  power  is  wanting  to  bring  him  to  justice.  Hence 
both  are  the  resort  of  desperadoes. 

In  the  early  settlement  of  the  West,  the  borders  were  infested  with  despe- 
radoes flying  from  justice,  suspected  or  convicted  felons  escaped  from  the  grasp 
of  the  law,  who  sought  safety  in  the  depth  of  the  forest.  The  counterfeiter 
and  the  robber  found  there  a  secure  retreat,  or  a  new  theater  for  crime. 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  181 

While  St.  Louis  was  under  Spanish  dominion,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  last 
century,  the  intercourse  with  New  Orleans  was  at  one  time  rendered  very 
dangerous,  by  a  very  large  band  of  robbers,  under  the  command  of  two  des- 
peradoes, by  the  names  of  Culbert  and  Magilbray,  who,  stationing  themselves 
at  a  certain  point  on  the  Mississippi,  carried  on  a  regular  and  extensive  sys- 
tem of  piracy. 

In  the  year  1787,  a  barge,  richly  laden,  left  New  Orleans,  bound  for  St. 
Louis.  At  Beausoliel's  island  the  robbers  boarded  the  vessel,  and  ordered  the 
crew  below,  with  the  owner,  Mr.  Beausoliel,  amon<*  them.  His  whole  for- 
tune was  in  the  barge,  and  now  that  he  was  to  be  deprived  of  it,  he  was  in 
agony.  But  all  was  saved  to  him  through  the  heroic  daring  of  a  negro,  one 
of  the  crew.  The  negro,  Cacasotte,  was  short  and  slender,  but  exceedingly 
strong  and  active,  and  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  the  race  had,  in  him, 
given  place  to  features  of  exceeding  grace  and  beauty.  As  soon  as  the  rob- 
bers had  taken  possession,  Cacasotte  appeared  overjoyed.  He  danced,  sang, 
laughed,  and  soon  induced  them  to  believe  that  his  ebullitions  of  pleasure 
arose  from  their  having  liberated  him  from  irksome  slavery.  His  constant 
attention  to  their  smallest  wants  won  their  confidence,  and  he  alone  was  per- 
mitted to  roam  unmolested  and  unwatched  through  the  vessel. 

Having  thus  far  effected  his  object,  he  seized  the  first  opportunity  to  speak 
to  Mr.  Beausoliel,  and  beg  permission  to  rid  him  of  his  dangerous  intruders. 
He  laid  his  plan  before  his  master,  who,  with  a  good  deal  of  hesitation,  ac- 
ceeded  to  it.  Cacasotte  was  cook,  and  it  was  agreed  between  him  and  his 
fellow  conspirators,  likewise  two  negroes,  that  the  signal  for  dinner  should  be 
the  signal  for  action.  When  the  hour  arrived,  the  robbers  assembled  in  con- 
siderable numbers  on  the  deck,  and  stationed  themselves  on  the  bow  and  stern, 
and  along  the  sides,  to  prevent  any  rising  of  the  men.  Cacasotte  went  among 
them  with  the  most  unconcerned  look  and  demeanor  imaginable.  As  soon 
as  his  comrades  had  taken  their  assigned  stations,  he  placed  himself  at  the 
bow,  near  one  of  the  robbers,  a  stout,  herculean  fellow,  who  was  armed  cap- 
a-pie.  Cacasotte  gave  the  preconcerted  signal,  and  immediately  the  robber 
near  him  was  struggling  in  the  water.  With  the  speed  of  lightning  he  ran 
from  one  robber  to  another,  as  they  were  sitting  on  the  sides  of  the  boat,  and 
in  a  few  seconds'  time  had  thrown  several  of  them  overboard.  Then  seizing 
an  oar,  he  struck  on  the  head  those  who  had  attempted  to  save  themselves  by 
grappling  the  running  boards ;  then  shot  with  rifles  that  had  been  dropped  on 
deck  those  who  swam  away.  In  the  meantime  his  comrades  had  done  almost 
as  much  execution  as  their  leader.  The  deck  was  soon  cleared,  and  the  rob- 
bers who  remained  below  were  too  few  to  offer  any  resistance.  But  as  these 
did  not  comprise  all  the  band,  they  continued  their  depredations  until  the 
next  year,  when  they  were  broken  up,  and  all  kinds  of  valuable  merchandise, 
the  fruits  of  their  depredations,  were  found  on  the  island. 

About  the  year  1800,  a  person  by  the  name  of  Meason  became  an  auda- 
cious depredator.  He  dwelt,  for  a  while,  in  the  Cave-in-the-Rock,  on  the 
Ohio.  This  noted  cavern  is  about  twenty  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Wabash,  and  presents  itself  to  view  a  little'  above  high-water  mark,  close  to 
the  bank  of  the  river.  It  is  about  two  hundred  feet  long,  eighty  wide,  and 
twenty -five  in  height.  The  floor  is  level  through  the  whole  length  of  the 
center,  the  sides  rising  in  strong  grades,  in  the  manner  of  the  seats  in  the  pit 
of  a  theater.  It  is  a  great  curiosity,  being  connected  by  another,  still  more 
gloomy,  which  is  situated  exactly  above.  They  are  united  by  an  aperture  of  about 
Fourteen  feet,  which,  to  ascend,  is  like  passing  up  a  chimney,  while  the  top 
of  the  mountain  is  yet  far  above. 

Measo    was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  talents,  of  gigantic  stature,  and 
23 


182  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVEMTJRES, 

was  both  a  land  and  water  pirate,  infesting  the  rivers  and  the  woods,  and  rob- 
bing all  who  fell  in  his  way.  Sometimes  he  plundered  the  descending  boats; 
but  more  frequently  preferred  to  wait  and  plunder  the  owners  of  their  money 
as  they  returned.  The  rapid  advance  of  population  led  him  to  desert  the 
Cave-in-the-rock,  and  he  began  to  infest  the  great  route  through  the  Indian 
nation,  known  to  travelers  as  the  "Natchez  and  Nashville  Trace,"  where  he 
soon  became  the  terror  of  every  peaceful  traveler  through  the  wilderness. 
Associated  with  him  were  his  two  sons,  and  a  few  other  desperate  miscreants; 
and  the  name  of  Meason  and  his  band  were  known  and  dreaded  from  the  mo- 
rasses of  the  southern  frontier  to  the  silent  shades  of  the  Tennessee.  The 
outrages  of  Meason  became  more  frequent  and  sanguinary.  One  day  found 
him  marauding  on  the  banks  of  the  Pearl,  against  the  life  and  fortune  of  the 
trader;  and  before  pursuit  was  organized,  the  hunter,  attracted  by  the  de- 
scending sweep  of  the  solitary  vulture,  learned  another  story  of  robbery  and 
murder  on  the  remote  shores  of  the  Mississippi.  Their  depredations  at  last 
became  so  frequent  and  daring,  that  Gov.  Claiborne,  of  the  Mississippi  Ter- 
ritory, offered  a  liberal  reward  for  his  capture,  dead  or  alive !  But  such  was 
the  knowledge  of  the  wilderness  possessed  by  the  wily  bandit,  and  such  his 
untiring  vigilance  and  activity,  that  for  a  time  he  baffled  every  effort  for  his 
capture. 

Treachery  at  last  succeeded,  where  stratagem,  enterprise,  and  courage  had 
failed.  Two  of  his  band,  tempted  by  the  large  reward,  concerted  a  plan  to 
obtain  it.  Watching  their  opportunity,  when  Meason  was  counting  out  his 
ill-gotten  plunder,  the  conspirators  came  behind  him,  struck  a  tomahawk  into 
his  brains,  cut  off'  his  head,  carried  it  to  Washington,  then  the  seat  of  the 
territorial  government,  and  claimed  the  reward.  Ere  it  was  paid  to  them,  a 
vast  assemblage  gathered  from  all  the  country  adjacent  to  view  the  grim  and 
ghastly  head  of  the  robber-chief,  which  was  identified  by  many,  from  certain 
marks  and  scars.  Among  these  were  two  young  men,  who  recognized  the 
conspirators  as  part  of  the  gang  by  which  they  had  been  robbed.  Upon  their 
evidence,  their  treachery  met  its  reward,  for  they  were  arrested,  imprisonedj 
tried,  condemned,  and  executed.  The  band  being  thus  deprived  of  their  leadei 
and  two  of  its  most  efficient  men,  dispersed  and  fled  the  country. 

At  a  later  period,  the  celebrated  counterfeiter,  Sturdevant,  fixed  his  resi- 
dence in  Illinois,  on  the  Ohio,  and  for  several  years  set  the  laws  at  defiance. 
He  was  a  man  of  talent  and  address,  possessed  mechanical  genius,  was  an 
expert  artist,  was  skilled  in  some  of  the  sciences,  and  excelled  as  an  engraver. 
For  several  years  he  resided  in  a  secluded  spot,  where  all  his  immediate 
neighbors  were  his  confederates,  or  persons  whose  friendship  he  had  concili- 
ated. At  any  time,  by  the  blowing  of  a  horn,  he  could  summon  from  fifty 
to  a  hundred  armed  men  to  his  defense,  while  the  few  quiet  farmers  around, 
who  lived  near  enough  to  get  their  feelings  interested,  and  who  were  really 
not  at  all  implicated  in  his  crimes,  rejoicea  in  the  impunity  with  which  he 
practiced  his  schemes.  He  was  a  grave,  quiet,  inoffensive  man  in  his  man- 
ners, who  commanded  the  obedience  of  his  comrades,  and  the  respect  of  his 
neighbors.  He  had  a  very  excellent  farm;  his  house  was  one  of  the  best  in 
the  country;  his  domestic  arrangements  were  liberal  and  well  ordered.  Yet 
this  man  was  the  most  notorious  counterfeiter  that  ever  int'ested  our  country, 
and  carried  on  his  nefarious  art  to  an  extent  which  no  other  person  has  ever 
attempted.  His  confederates  were  scattered  over  the  whole  western  country, 
receiving  through  regular  channels  of  intercourse  their  regular  supplies  of 
counterfeit  bank  notes,  for  which  they  paid  him  a  stipulated  price — sixteen 
dollars  in  cash  for  one  hundred  in  counterfeit  bills. 

His  security  arose  partly  from  his  caution  in  not  allowing  his  subordinates 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  183 

to  pass  a  counterfeit  bill,  or  do%iy  other  unlawful  act  in  the  State  in  which 
he  lived,  and  in  his  obliging  them  to  be  especially  careful  of  their  deportment 
in  the  county  of  his  residence ;  measures  which  effectually  protected  him 
from  the  civil  authority;  for  although  all  the  counterfeit  bank  notes  with 
which  a  vast  region  was  inundated,  were  made  in  his  house,  that  fact  never 
could  be  proved  by  legal  evidence. 

But  he  became  a  great  nuisance,  from  the  immense  quantity  of  spurious 
paper  which  he  threw  into  circulation;  and  although  personally  he  never 
committed  any  acts  of  violence,  and  is  not  known  to  have  sanctioned  any,  the 
unprincipled  felons  by  whom  he  was  surrounded,  were  guilty  of  many  acts  of 
desperate  atrocity;  and  Sturdevant,  though  he  escaped  the  arm  of  the  law, 
was  at  last,  with  all  his  confederates,  driven  from  the  country  by  the  enraged 
people,  who  rose  almost  in  mass,  to  rid  themselves  of  one,  whose  presence 
they  had  long  considered  an  evil  and  a  disgrace. 

The  Lynch  Law,  as  it  is  termed,  originated  in  Virginia  at  the  time  of  the 
American  Revolution,  and  was  first  adopted  by  Col.  Lynch  against  a  lawless 
band  of  tories  and  desperadoes,  who  infested  the  country  at  the  base  of  the 
Blue  Ridge.  This  plan  was  afterward  followed  in  the  west,  and  its  operation 
was  salutary  in  ridding  the  country  of  miscreants  whom  the  law  was  not 
strong  enough  to  punish.  The  tribunal  of  Squire  Birch,  as  the  person  who 
personated  the  juuge  was  called,  was  established  under  a  tree  in  the  woods ; 
the  culprit  being  usually  found  guilty,  was  tied  to  a  tree  and  lashed  without 
mercy,  and  then  expelled  from  the  country.  In  general,  "  the  regulators" 
only  exercised  this  law  upon  the  most  base  and  vile  characters. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1801  or  1802,  a  company  consisting  of  two  men  and 
three  women  arrived  in  Lincoln  Co.,  Ky.,  and  encamped  about  a  mile  from  the 
present  town  of  Stanford.  The  appearance  of  the  individuals  composing  this 
party  was  wild  and  rude  in  the  extreme.  The  one  who  seemed  to  be  the 
leader  of  the  band,  was  above  the  ordinary  stature  of  men.  His  frame  was 
bony  and  muscular,  his  breast  broad,  his  limbs  gigantic.  His  clothing  was 
uncouth  and  shabby,  his  exterior,  weatherbeaten  and  dirty,  indicating  continual 
exposure  to  the  elements,  and  designating  him  as  one  who  dwelt  far  from  the 
habitations  of  men,  and  mingled  not  in  the  courtesies  of  civilized  life.  His 
countenance  was  bold  and  ferocious,  and  exceedingly  repulsive,  from  its  strong- 
ly marked  expression  of  villany.  His  face,  which  was  larger  than  ordinary, 
exhibited  the  lines  of  ungovernable  passion,  and  the  complexion  announced 
that  the  ordinary  feelings  of5  the  human  breast  were  in  him  extinguished. 
Instead  of  the  healthy  hue  which  indicates  the  social  emotions,  there  was  a 
livid  unnatural  redness,  resembling  that  of  a  dried  and  lifeless  skin.  His  eye 
was  fearless  and  steady,  but  it  was  also  artful  and  audacious,  glaring  upon 
the  beholder  with  an  unpleasant  fixedness  and  brilliancy,  like  that  of  a  raven- 
ous animal  gloating  on  its  prey.  He  wore  no  covering  on  his  head,  and  the 
natural  protection  of  thick  coarse  hair,  of  a  fiery  redness,  uncombed  and 
matted,  gave  evidence  of  long  exposure  to  the  rudest  visitations  of  the  sun- 
beam and  the  tempest.  He  was  armed  with  a  rifle,  and  a  broad  leathern  belt, 
drawn  closely  around  his  waist,  supported  a  knife  and  a  tomahawk.  He  seemed, 
in  short,  an  outlaw,  destitute  of  all  the  nobler  sympathies  of  human  nature, 
and  prepared  at  all  points  for  assault  or  defense.  The  other  man  was  smaller 
in  size  than  him  who  led  the  party,  but  similarly  armed,  having  the  same 
suspicious  exterior,  and  a  countenance  equally  fierce  and  sinister.  The  fe- 
males were  coarse,  and  wretchedly  attired. 

,  The  men  stated  in  answer  to  the  inquiry  of  the  inhabitants,  that  their 
names  were  Harpe,  and  that  they  were  emigrants  from  North  Carolina. 
They  remained  at  their  encampment  the  greater  part  of  two  days  and  a  night, 


184  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

spending  the  time  in  rioting,  drunkenness  and  debauchery.  When  they  left, 
they  took  the  road  leading  to  Green  River.  The  day  succeeding  their  de- 
parture, a  report  reached  the  neighborhood  that  a  young  gentleman  of  wealth 
From  Virginia,  named  Lankford,  had  been  robbed  and  murdered  on  what  was 
then  called,  and  is  still  known  as  the  "  Wilderness  Road,"  which  runs 
through  the  Rock-castle  hills.  Suspicion  immediately  fixed  upon  the  Harpes 
as  the  perpetrators,  and  Captain  Ballenger,  at  the  head  of  a  few  bold  and 
resolute  men,  started  in  pursuit.  They  experienced  great  difficulty  in  follow- 
ing  their  trail,  owing  to  a  heavy  fall  of  snow,  which  had  obliterated  most  of 
their  tracks,  but  finally  came  upon  them  while  encamped  in  a  bottom  on 
Green  River,  near  the  spot  where  the  town  of  Liberty  now  stands.  At  first, 
they  made  a  show  of  resistance,  but  upon  being  informed  that  if  they  did  not 
immediately  surrender,  they  would  be  shot  down,  they  yielded  themselves 
prisoners.  They  were  brought  back  to  Standford,  and  there  examined. 
Among  their  effects  were  found  some  fine  linen  shirts,  marked  with  the  ini- 
tials of  Lankford.  One  had  been  pierced  by  a  bullet  and  was  stained  with 
blood.  They  had  also  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  in  gold.  It  was  after- 
ward ascertained  that  this  was  the  kind  of  money  Lankford  had  with  him. 
The  evidence  against  them  being  thus  conclusive,  they  were  confined  in  the 
Stanford  jail,  but  were  afterward  sent  for  trial  to  Danville,  where  the  dis- 
'trict  court  was  in  session.  Here  they  broke  jail,  and  succeeded  in  making 
their  escape. 

They  were  next  heard  of  in  Adair  County,  near  Columbia.  In  passing 
through  that  county,  they  met  a  small  boy,  the  son  of  Colonel  Trabue,  with 
a  pillow-case  of  meal  or  flour,  an  article  they  probably  needed.  This  boy,  it 
is  supposed,  they  robbed  and  then  murdered,  as  he  was  never  afterward  heard 
of.  Many  years  afterward,  human  bones,  answering  the  size  of  Colonel 
Trabue's  son  at  the  time  of  his  disappearance,  were  found  in  a  sink  hole  near 
the  place  where  he  was  said  to  have  been  murdered.  The  Harpes  still 
shaped  their  course  toward  the  mouth  of  Green  River,  marking  their  path  by 
murders  and  robberies  of  the  most  horrible  and  brutal  character.  The  dis- 
trict of  country  through  which  they  passed  was  at  that  time  very  thinly  set- 
tled, and  from  this  reason,  their  outrages  went  unpunished.  They  seemed 
inspired  with  the  deadliest  hatred  against  the  whole  human  race,  and  such 
was  their  implacable  misanthropy,  that  they  were  known  to  kill  where  there 
was  no  temptation  to  rob.  One  of  their  victims  was  a  little  girl,  found  at 
some  distance  from  her  home,  whose  tender  age  and  helplessness  would  have 
been  protection  against  any  but  incarnate  fiends.  The  last  dreadful  act  of 
barbarity,  which  led  to  their  punishment  and  expulsion  from  the  country,  ex- 
ceeded in  atrocity  all  the  others. 

Assuming  the  guise  of  Methodist  'preachers,  they  obtained  lodgings  one 
night  at  a  solitary  house  on  the  road.  Mr.  Stagall,  the  master  of  the  Chouse, 
was  absent,  but  they  found  his  wife  and  children,  and  a  stranger,  who,  like 
themselves,  had  stopped  for  the  night.  Here  they  conversed  and  made  inqui- 
ries about  the  two  noted  Harpes  who  were  represented  as  prowling  about  the 
country.  When  they  retirea  to  rest,  they  contrived  to  secure  an  ax,  which 
they  carried  with  them  into  their  chamber.  In  the  dead  of  night,  they  crept 
softly  down  stairs,  and  assassinated  the  whole  family,  together  with  the 
stranger,  in  their  sleep,  and  then  setting  fire  to  the  house,  made  their  escape. 
When  Stagall  returned,  he  found  no  wife  to  welcome  him ;  no  home  to  re- 
ceive him.  Distracted  with  grief  and  rage,  he  turned  his  horse's  head  from 
the  smoldering  ruins,  and  repaired  to  the  house  of  Captain  John  Leeper. 
Leeper  was  one  of  the  most  powerful  men  of  his  day,  and  fearless  as  power- 
ful. Collecting  four  or  five  other  men  well  armed,  they  mounted  and  started 


FRONTIER  LIFE—NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  185 

in  pursuit  of  vengeance.  It  was  agreed  that  Leeper  should  attack  u  Big 
Harpe,"  leaving  "  Little  Harpe"  to  be  disposed  of  by  Stagall.  The  others 
were  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  assist  Leeper  and  Stagall,  as  circum- 
stances might  require. 

This  party  found  the  women  belonging  to  the  Harpes,  attending  to  their  lit- 
tle camp  by  the  road  side  ;  the  men  having  gone  aside  into  the  woods  to  shoot 
an  unfortunate  traveler,  of  the  name  of  Smith,  who  had  fallen  into  their  hands, 
and  whom  the  women  had  begged  might  not  be  dispatched  before  their  eyes. 
It  was  this  halt  that  enabled  the  pursuers  to  overtake  them.  The  women  im- 
mediately gave  the  alarm,  and  the  miscreants  mounting  their  horses,  which 
were  large,  fleet  and  powerful,  fled  in  separate  directions.  Leeper  singled 
out  the  Big  Harpe,  ana  being  better  mounted  than  his  companions,  soon  left 
them  far  behind.  Little  Harpe  succeeded  in  escaping  from  Stagall,  and  he, 
with  the  rest  of  his  companions,  turned  and  followed  on  the  track  of  Leeper 
and  the  Big  Harpe.  After  a  chase  of  about  nine  miles,  Leeper  came  within 
gun  shot  of  the  latter  and  fired.  The  ball  entering  his  thigh,  passed  through 
it  and  penetrated  his  horse,  and  both  fell.  Harpe's  gun  escapd  from  his 
hand  and  rolled  some  eight  or  ten  feet  down  the  bank.  Reloading  his  rifle, 
Leeper  ran  to  where  the  wounded  outlaw  lay  weltering  in  his  blood,  and 
found  him  with  one  thigh  broken,  and  the  other  crushed  beneath  his  horse. 
Leeper  rolled  the  horse  away,  and  set  Harpe  in  an  easier  position.  The  rob- 
ber begged  that  he  might  not  be  killed.  Leeper  told  him  that  he  had  nothing 
to  fear  from  him,  but  that  Stagall  was  coming  up,  and  could  not  probably  be 
restrained.  Harpe  appeared  very  much  frightened  at  hearing  this,  and  im- 
plored Leeper  to  protect  him.  In  a  few  moments,  Stagall  appeared,  and  with- 
out uttering  a  word,  raised  his  rifle  and  shot  Harpe  through  the  head.  They 
then  severed  the  head  from  the  body,  and  stuck  it  upon  a  pole  where  the  road 
crosses  the  creek,  from  which  the  place  was  then  named  and  is  yet  called 
Harpe's  Head.  Thus  perished  one  of  the  boldest  and  most  noted  freebooters 
that  has  ever  appeared  in  America.  Save  courage,  he  was  without  one  re- 
deeming quality,  and  his  death  freed  the  country  from  a  terror  which  had 
long  paralyzed  its  boldest  spirits. 

The  Little  Harpe  afterward  joined  the  band  of  Meason,  and  became  one  of 
his  most  valuable  assistants  in  the  dreadful  trade  of  robbery  and  murder.  He 
was  one  of  the  two  bandits  that,  tempted  by  the  reward  for  their  leader's 
head,  murdered  him,  and  eventually  themselves  Buffered  the  penalty  of  the 
law  as  previously  related. 


PURCHASE  OF  LOUISIANA. 

IN  1763,  Louisiana  was  ceded  to  Spain,  and  by  a  secret  article  in  the  treaty 
of  St.  Ildefonso,  concluded  in  1800,  that  power  ceded  it  back  to  France. 
Napoleon,  however,  wished  «to  keep  this  cession  secret  until  he  should  have — 
as  he  hoped  to  do — reduced  St.  Domingo  to  submission.  Failing  in  this,  he 
was  rendered  indifferent  to  his  new  acquisition.  In  January,  1803,  he  sent 
out  Laussat  as  prefect  of  the  colony,  which  was  the  first  intimation  that  the 
inhabitants  had  of  the  transfer  which  gave  them  great  joy. 

On  being  informed  of  this  retrocession,  President  Jefferson  had  dispatched 
instructions  to  Robert  Livingston,  the  American  minister  at  Paris,  to  repre- 
sent to  the  First  Consul  that  the  occupation  of  New  Orleans  by  France  would 
endanger  the  friendly  relations  between  the  two  nations,  and,  perhaps,  even 
oblige  the  United  States  to  make  common  cause  with  England ;  as  the  pos- 
session of  this  city  by  the  former,  by  giving  her  the  command  of  the  Missis- 


186  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

sippi,  the  only  outlet  to  the  produce  of  the  Western  States,  and  also  of  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  so  important  to  American  commerce,  would  render  it  almost 
certain  that  the  conflicting  interests  of  the  two  nations  would  lead  to  an  open 
rupture.  Mr.  Livingston  was  therefore  instructed  not  only  to  insist  upon  the 
free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi,  but  to  negotiate  for  the  acquisition  of  New 
Orleans  itself  arid  the  surrounding  territory ;  and  Mr.  Monroe  was  appointed 
with  full  powers  to  assist  him  in  the  negotiation. 

Bonaparte,  who  always  acted  promptly,  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
what  he  could  not  defend,  he  had  better  dispose  of  on  the  best  terms  ;  but  be- 
fore deciding,  he  summoned  two  of  his  ministers  in  council,  on  the  10th  of 
April,  1803,  and  thus  addressed  them: 

"I  am  fully  sensible  of  the  value  of  Louisiana,  and  it  was  my  wish  to  re- 
pair the  error  of  the  French  diplomatists  who  abandoned  it  in  1763.  I  have 
scarcely  recovered  it  before  I  run  the  risk  of  losing  it ;  but  if  I  am  obliged  to 
give  it  up,  it  shall  hereafter  cost  more  to  those  who  force  me  to  part  with  it 
than  to  those  to  whom  I  yield  it.  The  English  have  despoiled  France  of  all 
her  northern  possessions  in  America,  and  now  they  covet  those  of  the  South. 
I  am  determined  that  they  shall  not  have  the  Mississippi.  Although  Loui- 
siana is  but  a  trifle  compared  to  their  vast  possessions  in  other  parts  of  the 
globe,  yet,  judging  from  the  vexation  they  have  manifested  on  seeing  it  return 
to  the  power  of  France,  I  am  certain  that  their  first  object  will  be  to  gain 
possession  of  it.  They  will  probably  commence  the  war  in  that  quarter. 
They  have  twenty  vessels  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  our  affairs  in  St.  Do- 
mingo are  daily  getting  worse  since  the  death  of  Le  Clerc.  The  conquest  of 
Louisiana  might  be  easily  made,  and  I  have  not  a  moment  to  lose  in  putting 
it  out  of  their  reach.  I  am  not  sure  but  what  they  have  already  begun  an  at- 
tack upon  it.  Such  a  measure  would  be  in  accordance  with  their  habits ; 
and  in  their  place  I  should  not  wait.  I  am  inclined,  in  order  to  deprive  them 
of  all  prospect  of  ever  possessing  it,  to  cede  it  to  the  United  States.  Indeed, 
I  can  haraly  say  that  I  cede  it,  for  I  do  not  yet  possess  it ;  and  if  I  wait  but 
a  short  time,  my  enemies  may  leave  me  nothing  but  an  empty  title  to  grant 
to  the  Republic  I  wish  to  conciliate.  They  only  ask  for  one  city  of  Loui- 
siana, but  I  consider  the  whole  colony  as  lost ;  and  I  believe  that  in  the 
hands  of  this  rising  power  it  will  be  more  useful  to  the  political,  and  even 
the  commercial  interests  of  France,  than  if  I  should  attempt  to  retain  it.  Let 
me  have  both  your  opinions  on  the  subject." 

One  of  the  ministers,  Barbe  Marbois,  fully  approved  of  the  cession,  but 
the  other  opposed  it.  They  debated  the  matter  for  a  long  time,  and  Bona- 
parte concluded  the  conference  without  making  his  determination  known.  The 
next  day,  however,  he  sent  for  Marbois,  and  said  to  him  : 

"  The  season  for  deliberation  is  over :  I  have  determined  to  renounce  Loui- 
siana. I  shall  give  up  not  only  New  Orleans,  but  the  whole  colony,  without 
reservation.  That  I  ao  not  undervalue  Louisiana  I  have  sufficiently  proved, 
as  the  object  of  my  first  treaty  with  Spain  was  to*  recover  it.  But,  though  I 
regret  parting  with  it,  I  am  convinced  it  would  be  folly  to  persist  in  trying 
to  keep  it.  I  commission  you,  therefore,  to  negotiate  this  affair  with  the  en- 
voys of  the  United  States.  Do  not  wait  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Monroe,  but  go 
this  very  day  and  confer  with  Mr.  Livingston.  Remember,  however,  that  I 
need  ample  funds  for  carrying  on  the  war,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  commence  it 
by  levying  new  taxes.  For  the  last  century  France  and  Spain  have  incurred 
great  expense  in  the  improvement  of  Louisiana,  for  which  her  trade  has  never 
indemnified  them.  Large  sums  have  been  advanced  to  different  companies, 
which  have  never  returned  to  the  treasury.  It  is  fair  that  I  should  require 
repayment  for  these.  Were  I  to  regulate  my  demands  by  the  importance  of 


FRONTIER  LIFE--N\rURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  187 

this  territory  to  the  United  States,  they  would  be  unbounded;  but,  being  obliged 
to  part  with  it,  I  shall  be  moderate  in  my  terms.  Still,  remember,  I  must 
have  fifty  millions  of  francs,  and  I  will  not  consent  to  take  less.  I  would 
rather  make  some  desperate  effort  to  preserve  this  fine  country," 

The  negotiations  commenced  that  very  day.  Mr.  Monroe  arrived  at  Paris 
on  the  12th  of  April,  and  the  two  representatives  of  the  United  States,  after 
holding  a  private  conference,  announced  that  they  were  ready  to  treat  for  the 
cession  of  the  entire  territory,  which  at  first  Mr.  Livingston  had  hesitated  to 
do,  believing  the  proposal  of  the  First  Consul  to  be  only  a  device  to  gain 
time. 

On  the  30th  of  April,  1803,  the  treaty  was  signed.  The  United  States 
were  to  pay  fifteen  million  dollars  for  their  new  acquisition,  and  be  indemni- 
fied for  some  illegal  captures;  while  it  was  agreed  that  the  vessels  and  mer- 
chandise of  France  and  Spain  should  be  admitted  into  all  the  ports  of  Loui- 
siana free  of  duty  for  twelve  years. 

Bonaparte  stipulated  in  favor  of  Louisiana  that  it  should  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible be  incorporated  into  the  Union,  and  that  its  inhabitants  should  enjoy  the 
same  rights,  privileges,  and  immunities  as  other  citizens  of  the  United  States  ; 
and  the  third  article  of  the  treaty,  securing  to  them  these  benefits,  was  drawn 
up  by  the  First  Consul  himself,  who  presented  it  to  the  plenipotentiaries  with 
these  words  : 

"  Make  it  known  to  the  people  of  Louisiana  that  we  regret  to  part  with 
them;  that  we  have  stipulated  for  all  the  advantages  they  could  desire;  and 
that  France,  in  giving  them  up,  has  ensured  to  them  the  greatest  of  all.  They 
could  never  have  prospered  under  any  European  rrovernment  as  they  will 
when  they  become  independent.  But,  while  they  enjoy  the  privileges  of  lib- 
erty, let  them  ever  remember  that  they  are  French,  and  preserve  for  their 
mother-country  that  affection  which  a  common  origin  inspires." 

The  completion  of  this  important  transaction  gave  equal  satisfaction  to  both 
parties.  "  I  consider,"  said  Livingston,  "  that  from  this  day  the  United 
States  takes  rank  with  the  first  powers  of  Europe,  and  now  she  has  entirely 
escaped  from  the  power  of  England ;"  and  Bonaparte  expressed  a  similar  sen- 
timent in  these  words:  "By  this  cession  of  territory  I  have  secured  the 
power  of  the  United  States,  and  given  to  England  a  maritime  rival,  who  at 
some  future  time  will  humble  her  pride."  These  words  appeared  prophetic 
when  the  troops  of  Britain,  a  few  years  after,  met  so  signal  an  overthrow  on 
the  plains  of  Louisiana. 

The  boundaries  of  the  colony  had  never  been  clearly  defined,  and  one  of 
Bonaparte's  ministers  drew  his  attention  to  his  obscurity.  "  No  matter," 
said  he,  "  if  there  was  no  uncertainty,  it  would,  perhaps,  be  good  policy  to 
leave  some;"  and,  in  fact,  the  Americans,  interpreting  to  their  own  advantage 
this  uncertainty,  some  few  years  after  seized  upon  the  extensive  territory  of 
Baton  Rouge,  which  was  in  dispute  between  them  and  the  Spaniards. 

On  the  30th  of  November,  1803,  Laussatt  took  possession  of  the  country, 
when  Casa  Calvo  and  Salcedo,  the  Spanish  commissioners,  presented  to  him 
the  keys  of  the  city,  over  which  the  tri-colored  flag  floated  but  for  the  short 
space  of  twenty  days.  The  colony  had  been  under  the  rule  of  Spain  for  a  lit- 
tle more  than  thirty-four  years. 

On  the  20th  of  December,  in  the  same  year,  General  Wilkinson  and  Clari- 
borne,  who  were  jointly  commissioned  to  take  possession  of  the  country  for 
the  United  States,  made  their  entry  into  New  Orleans  at  the  head  of  the 
American  troops.  Laussat  gave  up  his  command,  and  the  star-spangled  ban- 
ner supplanted  the  tri-colored  flag  of  France. 

The  purchase  of  Louisiana,  which  gave  the  United  States  their  sole  claim 


188  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

to  the  vast  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi,  extending  on  the  north  through 
Oregon  to  the  Pacifi,,,  and  further  south  to  the  Mexican  dominions,  was  the 
most  important  event  to  the  Nation  which  has  occurred  in  this  century. 
From  that  moment,  the  interests  of  the  whole  people  of  the  Mississippi  val- 
ley became  as  one,  and  its  vast  natural  resources  began  to  be  rapidly  de- 
veloped. So  great  are  they  that  it  is  destined  to  become  the  center  of  Amer 
ican  power — "  the  mistress  of  the  world." 


INTERESTING  NARRATIVE. 

OUR  story  will  carry  the  reader  back  a  little  more  than  sixty  years.  Then 
all  north  of  the  Ohio  River  was  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness,  the  mysterious 
red  man's  home.  On  the  other  side  a  bold  and  hardy  band  from  beyond  the 
mountains,  had  built  their  log  cabins  and  were  trying  to  subdue  the  wilder- 
ness. To  them  every  hour  was  full  of  peril.  The  Indians  would  often  cross 
the  river,  steal  their  children  and  horses  and  kill  and  scalp  any  victim  who 
came  in  their  way.  They  worked  in  the  field  with  weapons  at  their  side, 
and  on  the  Sabbath  met  in  the  grove  or  the  rude  log  church  to  hear  the  word 
of  God  with  their  rifles  in  their  hands. 

To  preach  to  these  settlers,  Mr.  Joseph  Smith,  a  Presbyterian  minister, 
had  left  his  parental  home  east  of  the  mountains.  He,  it  was  said,  was  the 
second  minister  who  had  crossed  the  Monongahela  River.  He  settled  in 
Washington  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  became  the  pastor  of  the  Cross  Creek 
and  Upper  Buffalo  congregations,  dividing  his  line  between  them.  He  found 
them  a  willing  and  united  people,  but  still  unable  to  pay  him  a  salary  which 
would  support  his  family.  He  in  common  with  all  the  early  ministers,  must 
cultivate  a  farm.  He  purchased  one  on  credit,  proposing  to  pay  for  it  with 
the  salary  pledged  him  by  his  people.  Years  passed  away ;  the  pastor  was 
unpaid.  Little  or  no  money  was  in  circulation.  Wheat  was  abundant,  but 
there  was  no  market.  It  could  not  be  sold  for  more  than  twelve  and  a  half 
cents  cash.  Even  their  salt  had  to  be  brought  across  the  mountains  on  pack 
horses — was  worth  eight  dollars  per  bushel,  and  twenty-one  bushels  of  wheat 
were  often  given  for  one  of  salt. 

The  time  came  when  the  last  payment  must  be  made,  and  Mr.  Smith  was 
told  he  must  pay  or  leave  his  farm.  Three  years'  salary  were  now  due  from 
his  people.  From  the  want  of  this,  his  land,  his  improvements  upon  it,  and 
his  hopes  of  remaining  among  a  beloved  people,  must  be  abandoned.  The 
people  were  called  together  and  the  case  laid  before  them.  They  were  greatly 
moved.  Counsel  from  on  high  was  sought.  Plan  after  plan  was  proposed 
and  abandoned.  The  congregations  were  unable  to  pay  a  tithe  of  their  debts, 
and  no  money  could  be  borrowed. 

In  despair,  they  adjourned  to  meet  again  the  following  week.  In  the  mean- 
time, it  was  ascertained  that  a  Mr.  Moore,  who  owned  the  only  mill  in  the 
country,  would  grind  wheat  for  them  on  moderate  terms.  At  the  next  meet- 
ing, it  was  resolved  to  carry  their  wheat  to  Mr.  Moore's  mill.  Some  gave 
fifty  bushels,  some  more.  This  was  carried  from  fifteen  to  twenty -five  miles 
on  horses  to  the  mill. 

In  a  month,  word  came  that  the  flour  was  nearly  ready  to  go  to  market. 
Again  the  people  were  called  together.  After  an  earnest  prayer,  the  question 
was  asked,  who  will  run  the  flour  to  New  Orleans  ?  This  was  a  startling 
question.  The  work  was  perilous  in  the  extreme.  Months  must  pass  before 
the  adventurer  could  hope  to  return,  even  though  his  journey  should  be  fortu- 
nate. Nearly  all  the  way  was  a  wilderness.  And  gloomy  tales  had  been 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  189 

told  of  the  treacherous  Indians.  More  than  one  boat's  crew  had  gone  on  that 
journey  and  came  back  no  more. 

Who  then  would  endure  the  toil  and  brave  the  danger?  None  volunteered. 
The  young  shrunk  back,  and  the  middle  aged  had  their  excuse.  Their  last 
scheme  seemed  likely  to  fail.  At  length,  a  hoary  headed  man,  an  elder  in  the 
church,  sixty-four  years  of  age,  arose,  and  to  the  astonishment  of  the  assem- 
bly, said,  "Here  am  I,  send  me."  The  deepest  feeling  at  once  pervaded  the 
whole  assembly.  To  see  their  venerated  old  elder  thus  devote  himself  for 
their  good,  melted  them  all  to  tears.  They  gathered  around  old  father  Smiley 
to  learn  that  his  resolution  was  indeed  taken  ;  that  rather  than  lose  their  pas- 
tor, he  would  brave  danger,  toil,  and  even  death.  After  some  delay  and 
trouble,  two  young  men  were  induced  by  hope  of  a  large  reward,  to  go  as  his 
assistants.  A  day  was  appointed  for  starting.  The  young  and  old  from  far 
and  near,  from  love  to  father  Smiley,  and  their  deep  interest  in  the  object  of 
his  mission,  gathered  together  and  with  their  minister  came  down  from  the 
church,  fifteen  miles  away  to  the  bank  of  the  river  to  bid  the  old  man  fare- 
well. Then  a  prayer  was  offered  by  their  pastor.  A  parting  hymn  was  sung. 
Then  said  the  old  man,  "  untie  the  cable,  and  let  us  see  what  the  Lord  will 
do  for  us."  This  was  done,  and  the  boat  floated  slowly  away. 

More  than  nine  months  passed  and  no  word  came  back  from  father  Smiley. 
Many  a  prayer  had  been  breathed  for  him,  but  what  had  been  his  fate  was 
unknown.  Another  Sabbath  came.  The  people  ccjne  together  for  worship, 
and  there  on  his  rude  bench  before  the  preacher,  sat  father  Smiley.  After 
the  services,  the  people  were  requested  to  meet  early  in  the  week 'to  hear  the 
report.  All  came  again.  After  thanks  had  been  rendered  to  God  for  his  safe 
return,  father  Smiley  arose  and  told  his  story.  That  the  Lord  had  prospered 
his  mission.  That  he  had  sold  his  flour  for  twenty-seven  dollars  per  barrel 
and  then  got  safely  back.  He  then  drew  a  large  purse  and  poured  upon  the 
table  a  larger  pile  of  gold  than  most  of  the  spectators  had  ever  seen  before. 
Thus  their  debts  were  paid,  their  pastor  relieved,  and  while  life  lasted,  he 
broke  for  them  the  bread  of  life.  The  bones  of  both  pastor  and  elder  have 
long  reposed  in  the  same  church-yard,  but  a  grateful  posterity  still  tell  this 
pleasing  story  of  the  past. 


STRANGE  MENTAL  AND  PHYSICAL  PHENOMENA. 

ABOUT  the  commencement  of  the  present  century,  the  religious  meetings  of 
the  west  were  attended  by  singular  mental  and  physical  phenomena,  resembling 
somewhat  in  some  of  their  phases,  the  mesmeric  phenomena  of  our  day.  They 
were  not  exclusively  confined  to  any  one  denomination,  or  those  who  have 
been  considered  the  most  excitable  and  enthusiastic,  for  even  the  phlegmatic 
New  England  Presbyterians  of  the  Reserve  came  under  their  influence. 

They,  however,  exhibited  themselves  with  greater  power  at  the  earlier 
forest  gatherings  of  the  Methodists.  On  those  occasions,  the  feelings  and 
mental  exercises  were  contagious,  and  often  spread  like  an  epidemic  through  a 
congregation,  hundreds  being  involuntarily  smitten  down.  They  could  not 
be  accounted  for  by  any  known  laws  of  our  mental  organization,  and  there- 
fore were  ascribed  to  a  supernatural  agency. 

A  clerical  writer  classifies  their  different  manifestations  respectively  as 
"the  Falling,"  " the  Jerking,"  "the  Rolling,"  "the  Dancing,"  and  "the 
Barking"  Exercises,  together  with  "  Visions  and  Trances." 

The  last  named  was  the  most  common  affection.     In  this  the  subject 
wrs  thrown  into  a  state  of  ecstasy  or  mental  revery,  attended  with  the  loss  of 
24 


190  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

all  muscular  power  and  consciousness  of  external  relations  or  objects,  similar 
to  a  protracted  catalepsy.  Yet  the  mind  appeared  wholly  absorbed  in  delight- 
ful contemplations,  which  often  lighted  up  the  countenance  with  a  rapturous, 
angelic  expression.  This  condition  continued  from  a  few  hours  to  two  days, 
during  which  there  was  an  entire  suspension  of  all  the  animal  and  voluntary 
functions. 

The  most  singular  and  alarming  of  those  affections,  was  "  the  Jerking  Ex- 
ercise," which,  although  common  to  both  sexes,  was  more  frequent  in  vigor- 
ous, athletic  men. 

The  first  recorded  instance  of  its  occurrence  was  at  a  sacrament  in  East 
Tennessee,  when  several  hundred  of  both  sexes  were  seized  with  this  strange 
and  involuntary  contortion.  The  subject  was  instantaneously  seized  with 
spasms  or  convulsions  in  every  muscle,  nerve  and  tendon.  His  head  was 
thrown  or  jerked  from  side  to  side  with  such  rapidity  that  it  was  impossible 
to  distinguish  his  visage,  and  the  most  lively  fears  were  awakened  lest  he 
should  dislocate  his  neck  or  dash  out  his  brains.  His  body  partook  of  the 
same  impulse  and  was  hurried  on  by  like  jerks  over  every  obstacle,  fallen 
trunks  of  trees,  or  in  a  church,  over  pews  and  benches,  apparently  to  the 
most  imminent  danger  of  being  bruised  and  mangled.  It  was  useless  to  at- 
tempt to  hold  or  restrain  him,  and  the  paroxysm  was  permitted  gradually  to 
exhaust  itself.  An  additional  motive  for  leaving  him  to  himself  was  the  su- 
perstitious notion  that  all  attempt  at  restraint  was  resisting  the  spirit  of  God. 

The  first  form  in  which  these  spasmodic  contortions  made  their  appearance 
was  that  of  a  simple  jerking  of  the  arms  from  the  elbows  downward.  The 
jerk  was  very  quick  and  sudden,  and  followed  with  short  intervals.  This 
was  the  simplest  and  most  common  form,  but  the  convulsive  motion  was  not 
confined  to  the  arms;  it  extended  in  many  instances  to  other  parts  of  the  body. 
When  the  joint  of  the  neck  was  affected,  the  head  was  thrown  backward  and 
forward  with  a  celerity  frightful  to  behold,  and  which  was  impossible  to  be 
imitated  by  persons  who  were  not  under  the  same  stimulus.  The  bosom 
heaved,  the  countenance  was  disgustingly  distorted,  and  the  spectators  were 
alarmed  lest  the  neck  should  be  broken.  When  the  hair  was  long,  it  was 
shaken  with  such  quickness,  backward  and  forward,  as  to  crack  and  snap 
like  the  lash  of  a  whip,  so  as  to  be  frequently  heard  twenty  feet. — 
Sometimes  the  muscles  of  the  back  were  affected,  and  the  patient  was  thrown 
down  on  the  ground,  when  his  contortions  for  some  time  resembled  those 
of  a, live  fish  cast  from  its  native  element  on  the  land. 

From  the  universal  testimony  of  those  who  have  described  these  spasms, 
they  appear  to  have  been  wholly  involuntary.  This  remark  is  applicable 
also  to  all  the  other  bodily  exercises.  What  demonstrates  satisfactorily  their 
involuntary  nature  is,  not  only  that,  as  above  stated,  the  twitches  prevailed 
in  spite  of  resistance,  and  even  more  for  attempts  to  suppress  them  ;  but  that 
wicked  men  would  be  seized  with  them  while  sedulously  guarding  against  an 
attack,  and  cursing  every  jerk  When  made.  Travelers  on  their  journey,  and 
laborers  at  theij-  daily  work,  were  also  liable  to  them. 


END  OP  VOL.  i. 
-/   vjfcfc 


THE  GOLD  BIGGIN'S. 

"  The  thirst  for  gold  and  the  labor  of  acquisition,  overruled  all  else, 
and  totally  absorbed  every  faculty.  Complete  silence  reigned  among 
the  miners  ;  they  addressed  not  a  word  to  each  other,  and  seemed 
averse  to  all  conversation." — PAGE  406. 


HISTORICAL    COLLECTIONS 


OP     THE 


GREAT    ¥EST. 


VOL.  II. 


LIFE  AMONG  THE  EAKLY  SETTLERS  OF  THE  WEST 

MORE  than  two  centuries  since  (in  1641)  the  Spanish  cavalier,  De  Soto, 
on  a  wild,  romantic  expedition  in  search  of  gems  and  precious  metals,  dis- 
covered the  Mississippi — the  mighty  artery  of  the  west.  A  few  years  later, 
the  adventurous  French  Jesuits  founded  missions  on  the  great  lakes  of  the 
north.  One  of  their  number,  Father  Marquette,  in  1673,  leaving  their 
westernmost  stations  far  behind,  crossed  the  country  through  unknown  na- 
tions and  became  the  first  white  man  whose  eyes  had  ever  rested  upon  the 
upper  portion  of  the  "great  stream."  Just  forty-one  years  after  its  discovery, 
A.  D.  1682,  the  chivalric  La  Salle  explored  it  to  the  sea,  and  with  great 
pomp  took  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  the  French  monarch. 
For  three  quarters  of  a  century  thereafter,  the  Great  West  was  claimed  as 
part  of  the  dominions  of  France :  French  fur  traders  penetrated  to  its  remote 
regions,  and  French  settlements  and  missions  here  and  there  arose  in  the 
western  forests,  as  points  of  civilization  among  savage  wilds. 

The  borderers  of  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas,  about  the  year  1756,  first 
crossed  the  Alleghanies,  into  what  is  now  Southwestern  Virginia,  and  Ten- 
nessee. The  smoke  from  the  cabins  of  Anglo-Saxons  then,  for  the  first  time, 
curled  up  in  the  western  valleys.  Their  stay  was  brief.  The  impulsive 
Cherokees  drove  back  the  intruders,  and  the  Anglo-Saxon  remained  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  mountains  until  the  peace  of  1763  removed  all  danger  of 
French  instigation.  Then  the  same  borderers,  with  others  of  Maryland  and 
southern  Pennsylvania,  again  crossed  the  Alleghanies. 

In  their  respective  routes,  they  observed  the  general  law  of  emigrants  of 
the  present  day,  of  advancing  westward  on  the  same  parallel  of  latitude  with 
that  of  their  nativity.  Thus  Tennessee  was  mainly  settled  by  Carolinians; 
Kentucky,  by  Virginians,  southern  Pennsylvanians,  and  Mary  landers ;  the 
central  and  southern  parts  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  from  the  Middle 
States;  while  those  from  colder  regions,  found  appropriate  homes  in  the 
northern  parts  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  in  Michigan,  Wisconsin, 
and  Iowa.  Each  sought  to  secure  a  climate  similar  to  that  in  which  they 
had  been  bred, — one  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  those  productions  to  which 
they  had  been  accustomed.  Thus  the  Tennesseean  raises  cotton,  the  staple 
of  the  mother  State,  Carolina;  the  Kentuckian  grows  the  Virginian  weed; 
and  away  in  the  far  northwest,  in  Minnesota,  the  hardy  emigrant  from  Maine, 
as  the  strokes  of  his  ax  echo  through  the  woods  with  a  familiar  sound,  finds 
his  native  element  in  converting  those  broad  forests  into  lumber. 

(195  ^ 


HISTORICAL    COLLECTIONS 


OP     THE 


GREAT    WEST. 


VOL.  II 


LIFE  AMONG  THE  EARLY  SETTLERS  OF  THE  WEST 

MORE  than  two  centuries  since  (in  1641)  the  Spanish  cavalier,  De  Soto, 
on  a  wild,  romantic  expedition  in  search  of  gems  and  precious  metals,  dis- 
covered the  Mississippi — the  mighty  artery  of  the  west.  A  few  years  later, 
the  adventurous  French  Jesuits  founded  missions  on  the  great  lakes  of  the 
north.  One  of  their  number,  Father  Marquette,  in  1673,  leaving  their 
westernmost  stations  far  behind,  crossed  the  country  through  unknown  na- 
tions and  became  the  first  white  man  whose  eyes  had  ever  rested  upon  the 
upper  portion  of  the  "great  stream."  Just  forty-one  years  after  its  discovery, 
A.  D.  1682,  the  chivalric  La  Salle  explored  it  to  the  sea,  and  with  great 
pomp  took  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  the  French  monarch. 
For  three  quarters  of  a  century  thereafter,  the  Great  West  was  claimed  as 
part  of  the  dominions  of  France :  French  fur  traders  penetrated  to  its  remote 
regions,  and  French  settlements  and  missions  here  and  there  arose  in  the 
western  forests,  as  points  of  civilization  among  savage  wilds. 

The  borderers  of  Virginia  and  the  Carolines,  about  the  year  1756,  first 
crossed  the  Alleghanies,  into  what  is  now  Southwestern  Virginia,  and  Ten- 
nessee. The  smoke  from  the  cabins  of  Anglo-Saxons  then,  for  the  first  time, 
curled  up  in  the  western  valleys.  Their  stay  was  brief.  The  impulsive 
Cherokees  drove  back  the  intruders,  and  the  Anglo-Saxon  remained  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  mountains  until  the  peace  of  1763  removed  all  danger  of 
French  instigation.  Then  the  same  borderers,  with  others  of  Maryland  and 
southern  Pennsylvania,  again  crossed  the  Alleghanies. 

In  their  respective  routes,  they  observed  the  general  law  of  emigrants  of 
the  present  day,  of  advancing  westward  on  the  same  parallel  of  latitude  with 
that  of  their  nativity.  Thus  Tennessee  was  mainly  settled  by  Carolinians; 
Kentucky,  by  Virginians,  southern  Pennsylvanians,  and  Marylanders ;  the 
central  and  southern  parts  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  from  the  Middle 
States ;  while  those  from  colder  regions,  found  appropriate  homes  in  the 
northern  parts  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and  in  Michigan,  Wisconsin, 
and  Iowa.  Each  sought  to  secure  a  climate  similar  to  that  in  which  they 
had  been  bred, — one  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  those  productions  to  which 
they  had  been  accustomed.  Thus  the  Tennesseean  raises  cotton,  the  staple 
of  the  mother  State,  Carolina;  the  Kentuckian  grows  the  Virginian  weed; 
and  away  in  the  far  northwest,  in  Minnesota,  the  hardy  emigrant  from  Maine, 
as  the  strokes  of  his  ax  echo  through  the  woods  with  a  familiar  sound,  finds 
his  native  element  in  converting  those  broad  forests  into  lumber. 

(l95^ 


196  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

This  consummation  has  not  been  effected  until  the  present  time  ;  yet,  be- 
fore the  commencement  of  the  American  revolution,  permanent  settlements 
had  been  made  in  Tennessee,  Kentucky,  and  western  Virginia  and  western 
Pennsylvania,  in  the  region  of  the  upper  Ohio. 

The  first  New  England  settlement  in  the  west,  was  not  founded  until  many 
years  later,  in  1788,  when  that  at  Marietta  was  commenced.  That  point  and 
vicinity  continued  to  remain  the  only  settlement  of  these  people  until  subse- 
quent to  Wayne's  treaty,  in  1 795.  Over  a  quarter  of  a  century  elapsed  after  the 
Virginians  had  obtained  a  permanent  foothold  west  of  the  mountains,  ere  the 
Western  Reserve,  in  northern  Ohio,  became  the  first  considerable  point  of 
New  England  emigration  in  the  west.  Unlike  the  early  settlers  of  the  region 
farther  south,  they  followed  almost  exclusively  the  unexciting  pursuits  of 
agriculture.  Coming  after  the  long  Indian  wars  had  closed,  such  characters 
as  Boone,  Kenton,  and  Whetzel,  had  no  corresponding  type  among  them.* 
Laying  broad  the  foundations  for  religious  and  intellectual  culture,  the 
church  and  the  schoolhouse  soon  arose  among  them,  exact  counterparts  of 
those  on  the  banks  of  the  smooth  gliding  Connecticut. 

The  lives  of  the  pioneers  of  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  western  Pennsyl- 
vania and  western  Virginia,  were  more  poetical  and  romantic.  The  spirit  of 
adventure  allured  them  into  the  wilderness.  The  beauty  of  the  country  gra- 
tified the  eye  ;  its  abundance  of  wild  animals,  the  passion  for  hunting.  They 
were  surrounded  by  an  enemy  subtile  and  wary.  "  The  sound  of  the  war- 
whoop  oft  woke  the  sleep  of  the  cradle."  But  those  wild  borderers  flinched 
not  from  the  contest :  even  their  women  and  children  often  performed  deeds 
of  heroism  from  which  the  iron  nerves  of  manhood  might  well  have  shrunk 
in  fear. 

In  such  circumstances,  no  opportunity  could  be  afforded  for  the  cultivation 
of  the  arts  and  elegancies  of  refined  life.  In  their  seclusion,  amid  danger, 
and  peril,  there  arose  a  peculiar  condition  of  society,  elsewhere  unknown. 
It  has  been  well  portrayed  by  one  of  their  number,  who.  giving  the  results 
of  his  experience,  pleases  by  the  artless  simplicity  of  his  pictures.  These 
the  compiler  presents  below,  as  nothing  equal  to  them,  for  this  object,  ever 
has  been  or  probably  ever  will  be  produced,  commencing  with  :f 

Settlement  of  the  Country. — The  settlements  on  this  side  of  the  moun- 
tains commenced  along  the  Monongahela,  and  between  that  river  and  the 
Laurel  Ridge,  in  the  year  1772.  In  the  succeeding  year  they  reached  the 
Ohio  River.  Th»  greater  number  of  the  first  settlers  came  from  the  upper 
parts  of  the  then  colonies  of  Maryland  and  Virginia.  Braddock's  trail,  as  it 
was  called,  was  the  route  by  which  the  greater  number  of  them  crossed  the 
mountains.  A  less  number  of  them  came  by  the  way  of  Bedford  and  Fort 
Ligonier,  the  military  road  from  Pennsylvania  to  Pittsburgh.  They  effected 

*  These  remarks  will  not  apply  to  the  settlers  at  and  around  Marietta,  who  shared  to  the  full  in 
the  vicissitudes  of  Indian  warfare,  and  who  had  among  them  some  not  excelled  by  any  as  back- 
woods hunters,  or  in  skill  and  finesse,  when  opposed  to  their  forest-bred  enemies.  And  what  is 
more,  that  little  settlement  was  composed  of  an  unusually  large  proportion  of  polished  men  of  high 
elevation  of  sentiment,  who,  having  served  as  officers  in  the  armies  of  the  revolution,  had  beg- 
gared themselves  in  the  service  of  their  country,  and  were  thus  compelled  to  seek  to  mend  their 
ruin-'d  fortunes  in  the  wilds  of  the  west. 

We  observe,  in  this  connection,  that  two  prominent  obstacles  opposed  the  first  settlement  of  the 
west  by  the  people  of  New  England.  First,  The  State  of  New  York,  then  mostly  a  wilderness, 
was  on  their  border,  and  for  awhile  formed  a  receptacle  for  their  emigrating  population.  Second, 
The  part  of  the  west  first  opened  to  emigration,  was  too  far  south  of  their  latitude  ;  but  as  soon 
as  a  portion  of  northern*  Ohio  was  ceded  by  the  Indians  at  Wayne's  treaty,  then  the  enterprise  of 
New  Enplnud  forthwith  uv.iile.l  itself  of  the  first  opening  in  a  congenial  direction. 

f  "  Not.-s  on  the  Setll<Mi>«nt  ami  Indian  Wars  of  the  Western  Parts  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylva- 
nia, from  the  year  1763  until  the  year  1783,  inclusive  ;  together  with  a  View  of  the  State  of  Soci- 
ety and  manners  of  the  first  Settlers  of  the  Western  Country.  By  the  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Doddridge : 
Wellsburgli,  Va.,  1824." 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  197 

their  removals  on  horses,  furnished  with  pack-saddles.  This  was  the  more 
easily  done,  as  but  few  of  these  early  adventurers  in  the  wilderness  were 
encumbered  with  much  baggage. 

Land  was  the  object  which  invited  the  greater  number  of  these  people  to 
cross  the  mountain,  for,  as  the  saying  was,  "it  was  to  be  had  here  for  taking 
it  up;"  thai  is,  building  a  cabin,  and  raising  a  crop  of  grain,  however  small, 
of  any  kind,  entitled  the  occupant  to  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  and  a  pre- 
emption right  to  one  thousand  acres  more  adjoining,  to  be  secured  by  a  land- 
office  warrant.  This  right  was  to  take  effect  if  there  happened  to  be  so  much 
vacant  land  in  any  part  thereof,  adjoining  the  tract  secured  by  the  settlement 
right. 

At  an  early  period,  the  government  of  Virginia  appointed  three  commis- 
sioners to  give  certificates  of  settlement  rights.  These  certificates,  together 
with  the  surveyor's  plot,  were  sent  to  the  land-office  of  the  State,  where  they 
laid  six  months,  to  await  any  caveat  which  might  be  offered.  If  none  was 
offered,  the  patent  was  then  issued. 

There  was,  at  an  early  period  of  our  settlements,  an  inferior  kind  of  land 
title,  denominated  a  "tomahawk  right,33  which  was  made  by  deadening  a  few 
trees  near  the  head  of  a  spring,  and  marking  the  bark  of  some  one  or  more 
of  them  with  the  initials  of  the  name  of  the  person  who  made  the  improve- 
ment. I  remember  to  have  seen  a  number  of  these  "tomahawk  rights'3  when 
a  boy.  For  a  long  time  many  of  them  bore  the  names  of  those  who  made 
them.  I  have  no  knowledge  of  the  efficacy  of  the  tomahawk  improvement, 
or  whether  it  conferred  any  right  whatever,  unless  followed  by  an  actual  set- 
tlement. These  rights,  however,  were  often  bought  and  sold. 

Some  of  the  early  settlers  took  the  precaution  to  come  over  the  mountains 
in  the  spring,  leaving  their  families  behind,  to  raise  a  crop  of  corn,  and  then 
return  and  bring  them  out  in  the  fall.  This,  I  should  think,  was  the  better 
way.  Others,  especially  those  whose  families  were  small,  brought  them  with 
them  in  the  spring.  My  father  took  the  latter  course.  His  family  was  but 
small,  and  he  brought  them  all  with  him.  The  Indian  meal  which  he  brought 
over  the  mountain  was  expended  six  weeks  too  soon,  so  that,  for  that  length 
of  time,  we  had  to  live  without  bread.  The  lean  venison  and  the  breast  of 
wild  turkies,  we  were  taught  to  call  bread.  The  flesh  of  the  bear  was  de- 
nominated meat.  This  artifice  did  not  succeed  very  well;  after  living  in  this 
way  for  some  time  we  became  sickly,  the  stomach  seemed  to  be  always  empty, 
and  tormented  with  a  sense  of  hunger.  I  remember  how  narrowly  the  chil- 
dren watched  the  growth  of  the  potatoe  tops,  pumpkin  and  squash  vines,- 
hoping  from  day  to  day  to  get  something  to  answer  in  the  place  of  bread. 
How  delicious  was  the  taste  of  the  young  potatoes  when  we  got  them !  What 
a  jubilee  when  we  were  permitted  to  pull  the  young  corn  for  roasting  ears- 
Still  more  so  when  it  had  acquired  a  sufficient  hardness  to  be  made  into  johnny 
cakes,  by  the  aid  of  a  tin  grater.  We  then  became  healthy,  vigorous,  and 
contented  with  our  situation,  poor  as  it  was. 

The  division  lines  between  those  whose  lands  adjoined,  were  generally 
made  in  an  amicable  manner,  before  any  survey  of  them  was  made  by  the- 
parties  concerned.  In  doing  this,  they  were  guided  mainly  by  the  tops  of 
ridges  and  water  courses,  but  particularly  the  former.  Hence  the  greater 
number  of  farms  in  the  western  parts  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  bear  a 
striking  resemblance  to  an  amphitheater.  The  buildings  occupy  a  low  situ- 
ation, and  the  tops  of  the  surrounding  hills  are  the  boundaries  of  the  tract  to 
which  the  family  mansion  belongs.  Our  forefathers  were  fond  of  farms  of 
this  description,  because,  as  they  said,  they  were  attended  with  this  conveni- 
ence, "that  everything  comes  to  the  house  down  hill."  In  the  hilly  parts  of 


198  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

the  State  of  Ohio,  the  land  having  been  laid  off  in  an  arbitrary  manner,  by 
straight  parallel  lines,  without  regard  to  hill  or  dale,  the  farms  present  a  dif- 
ferent aspect  from  those  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  opposite.  There  the 
buildings  as  frequently  occupy  the  tops  of  the  hills  as  any  other  situation. 

Most  of  the  early  settlers  considered  their  land  as  of  little  value,  from  an 
apprehension  that  after  a  few  years'  cultivation  it  would  lose  its'  fertility,  at 
least  for  a  long  time.  I  have  often  heard  them  say  that  such  a  field  would 
bear  so  many  crops  and  another  so  many,  more  or  less  than  that.  The  ground 
of  this  belief  concerning  the  short  lived  fertility  of  the  land  in  this  country, 
was  the  poverty  of  a  great  proportion  of  the  land  in  the  lower  parts  of  Ma- 
ryland and  Virginia,  which,  after  producing  a  few  crops,  became  unfit  for  use, 
and  was  thrown  out  into  commons. 

In  their  unfavorable  opinion  of  the  nature  of  the  soil  of  our  country,  our 
forefathers  were  utterly  mistaken.  The  native  weeds  were  scarcely  destroyed, 
before  the  white  clover,  and  different  kinds  of  grass  made  their  appearance. — 
These  soon  covered  the  ground,  so  as  to  afford  pasture  for  the  cattle,  by  the 
time  the  wood  range  was  eaten  out,  as  well  as  to  protect  the  soil  from  being 
washed  away  by  drenching  rains,  so  often  injurious  to  hilly  countries. 

Judging  from  Virgil's  test  of  fruitful  and  barren  soils,  the  greater  part  of 
this  country  must  possess  every  requisite  for  fertility.  The  test  is  this :  dig 
a  hole  of  any  reasonable  dimensions  and  depth.  If  the  earth  which  was 
taken  out,  when  thrown  lightly  back  into  it,  does  not  fill  up  the  hole,  the 
soil  is  fruitful ;  but  if  it  more  than  fill  up,  the  soil  is  barren.  Whoever  chooses 
to  make  this  experiment,  will  find  the  result  indicative  of  the  richness  of  our 
soil.  Even  our  graves,  notwithstanding  the  size  of  the  vault,  are  seldom  fin- 
ished with  the  earth  thrown  out  of  them,  and  they  soon  sink  below  the  surface 
of  the  earth. 

Furniture  and  Diet. — The  settlement  of  a  new  country,  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  an  old  one,  is  not  attended  with  much  difficulty,  because 
supplies  can  be  readily  obtained  from  the  latter;  but  the  settlement  of  a 
country  very  remote  from  any  cultivated  region,  is  a  very  different  thing,  be- 
cause, at  the  outset,  food,  raiment,  and  the  implements  of  husbandry,  are 
obtained  only  in  small  supplies,  and  with  very  great  difficulty.  The  task  of 
making  new  establishments  in  a  remote  wilderness  in  a  time  of  profound  peace, 
is  sufficiently  difficult;  but  when,  in  addition  to  all  the  hardships  attendant  on 
this  business,  those  resulting  from  an  extensive  and  furious  warfare  with  sa- 
vages are  superadded,  toil,  privations  and  suffering  are  then  carried  to  the  full 
extent  of  the  capacity  of  man  to  endure  them. 

Such  was  the  wretched  condition  of  our  forefathers  in  making  their  settle- 
ments here.  To  all  their  difficulties  and  privations,  the  Indian  wars  were  a 
weighty  addition.  This  destructive  warfare  they  were  compelled  to  sustain 
almost  single-handed,  because  the  revolutionary  contest  with  -England  at  the 
outset,  gave  full  employment  to  all  the  strength  and  resources  on  the  east  side 
of  the  mountains. 

The  furniture  for  the  table,  for  several  years  after  the  settlement  of  this 
country,  consisted  of  a  few  pewter  dishes,  plates,  and  spoons;  but  mostly  of 
wooden  bowls,  trenchers  and  noggins.  If  these  last  were  scarce,  gourds  and 
hard-shelled  squashes  made  up  the  deficiency.  The  iron  pots,  knives  and 
forks,  were  brought  from  the  east  side  of  the  mountains,  along  with  the  salt 
and  iron,  on  pack-horses.  These  articles  of  furniture  corresponded  very  well 
with  the  articles  of  diet  on  which  they  were  employed.  "Hog  and  hominy" 
were  proverbial  for  the  dishes  of  which  they  were  the  component  parts. 
Johnny  cake  and  pone  were,  at  the  outset  of  the"  settlements  of  the  country, 
the  only  forms  of  bread  in  use  for  breakfast  and  dinner.  At  supper,  milk  and 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  199 

mush  were  the  standard  dish.  When  milk  was  not  plenty,  which  was  often 
the  case,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  cattle,  or  the  want  of  proper  pasture  for 
them,  the  substantial  dish  of  hominy  had  to  supply  their  place.  Mush  was 
frequently  eaten  with  sweetened  water,  molasses,  bears'  oil,  or  the  gravy  of 
fried  meats. 

Every  family,  beside  a  garden  for  the  few  vegetables  which  they  cultivated, 
had  another  small  enclosure,  from  one-half  to  an  acre,  which  they  called  the 
"truck  patch,"  in  which  they  raised  corn  for  roasting  ears,  pumpkins,  beans, 
squashes,  and  potatoes.  These,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  and  fall, 
were  cooked  with  their  pork,  venison,  and  bear  meat  for  dinner,  and  made 
very  wholesome  and  well-tasted  dishes.  The  standing  dish  for  every  log- 
rolling,  house-raising,  or  harvest-day,  was  a  pot-pie,  or  what  is  in  other 
countries  called  " sea-pie."  This,  beside  answering  for  dinner,  served  for  a 
part  of  the  supper  also.  The  remainder  of  it  from  dinner,  being  eaten  with 
milk  in  the  evening,  after  the  conclusion  of  the  labors  of  the  day. 

I  well  recollect  the  first  time  I  ever  saw  a  tea-cup  and  saucer,  and  tasted 
coffee.  My  mother  died  when  I  was  about  six  or  seven  years  of  age.  My 
father  then  sent  me  to  Maryland,  with  a  brother  of  my  grandfather,  Alexan- 
der Wells,  to  school.  At  Bedford  everything  was  changed.  The  tavern  at 
which  my  uncle  put  up  was  a  stone  house,  and  to  make  the  change  still  more 
complete,  it  was  plastered  on  the  inside,  both  as  to  the  walls  and  ceiling.  On 
going  into  the  dining-room,  I  was  struck  with  astonishment  at  the  appearance 
of  the  house.  I  had  no  idea  that  there  was  any  house  in  the  world  that  was 
not  built  of  logs ;  but  here  I  looked  around  the  house  and  could  see  no  logs, 
and  above  I  could  see  no  joists.  Whether  such  a  thing  had  been  made  so  by 
the  hands  of  man,  or  had  grown  so  of  itself,  I  could  not  conjecture;  I  had 
not  the  courage  to  inquire  anything  about  it.  I  watched  attentively  to  see 
what  the  big  folks  would  do  with  their  little  cups  and  spoons.  I  imitated 
them,  and  found  the  taste  of  the  coffee  nauseous  beyond  anything  I  had  ever 
tasted  in  my  life.  I  continued  to  drink,  as  the  rest  of  the  company  did,  with 
tears  streaming  from  my  eyes ;  but  where  it  was  to  end  1  was  at  a  loss  to> 
know,  as  the  little  cups  were  filled  immediately  after  being  emptied.  This- 
circumstance  distressed  me  very  much,  and  I  durst  not  say  I  had  enough. 
Looking  attentively  at  the  grand  persons,  I  saw  one  man  turn  his  little  cup« 
bottom  upward,  and  put  his  little  spoon  across  it.  I  observed  after  this,  that, 
his  cup  was  not  filled  again.  I  followed  his  example,  and  to  my  great  satis- 
faction, the  result,  as  to  my  cup,  was  the  same. 

The  introduction  of  delft-ware  was  considered,  by  many  of  the  backwoods 
people,  as  a  culpable  innovation.  It  was  too  easily  broken,  and  the  plates 
of  that  ware  dulled  their  scalping  and  clasp-knives.  Tea-ware  was  too  small 
for  men;  they  might  do  for  women  and  children.  Tea  and  coffee  were  only 
slops,  which,  in  the  adage  of  the  day,  "did  not  stick  by  the  ribs."  The 
idea  was,  that  they  were  only  designed  for  people  of  quality,  who  do  not 
labor,  or  the  sick.  A  genuine  backwoodsman  would  have  thought  himself 
degraded  by  showing  a  fondness  for  these  slops. 

Dress. — On  the  frontiers,  and  particularly  among  those  who  were  much  in 
the  habit  of  hunting,  and  going  on  scouts  and  campaigns,  the  dress  of  the 
men  was  partly  Indian,  and  partly  that  of  civilized  nations. 

The  hunting-shirt  was  universally  worn.  This  was  a  kind  of  loose  frock, 
reaching  half-way  down  to  the  thighs,  with  large  sleeves,  open  before,  and  so 
wide  as  to  lap  over  a  foot  or  more  when  belted.  The  cape  was  large,  and 
sometimes  handsomely  fringed  with  a  raveled  piece  of  cloth  of  a  different 
color  from  that  of  the  hunting-shirt  itself.  The  bosom  of  this  shirt  served  as 
a  wallet  to  hold  a  chunk  of  bread,  cakes,  jerk,  tow  for  wiping  the  barrels  of  his 
25 


200  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

rifle,  or  any  other  necessary  for  the  hunter  or  warrior.  The  belt,  which  was 
always  tied  behind,  answered  several  purposes,  beside  that  of  holding  the 
dress  together.  In  cold  weather,  the  mittens,  and  sometimes  the  bullet-bag, 
occupied  the  front  part  of  it.  To  the  right  side  was  suspended  the  tomahawk, 
and  to  the  left  the  scalping-knife  in  its  leathern  sheath.  The  hunting-shirt 
was  generally  made  of  linsey,  sometimes  of  coarse  linen,  and  a  few  of  dress- 
ed deer-skins.  These  last  were  very  cold  and  uncomfortable  in  wet  weather. 
The  shirt  and  jacket  were  of  the  common  fashion.  A  pair  of  drawers  or 
breeches  and  leggins  were  the  dress  of  the  thighs  and  legs ;  a  pair  of  moc- 
casins answered  for  the  feet  much  better  than  shoes.  These  were  made  of 
dressed  deer-skin.  They  were  mostly  made  of  a  single  piece,  with  a  gath- 
ering seam  along  the  top  of  the  foot,  and  another  from  the  bottom  of  the  heel 
without  gathers,  as  high  as  the  ankle  joint,  or  a  little  higher.  Flaps  were 
left  on  each  side  to  reach  some  distance  up  the  legs.  These  were  nicely 
adapted  to  the  ankles  and  lower  part  of  the  legs  by  thongs  of  deer  skin,  so 
that  no  dust,  gravel,  or  snow,  could  get  within  the  moccasins. 

The  moccasins  in  ordinary  use  caused  but  a  few  hours'  labor  to  make  them. 
This  was  done  by  an  instrument  denominated  a  moccasin  awl,  which  was 
made  of  the  back  spring  of  an  old  clasp-knife.  This  awl,  with  its  buckhorn 
bandle,  was  an  appendage  too,  of  every  shot-pouch  strap,  together  with  a  roll 
of  buckskin  for  mending  the  moccasins.  This  was  the  labor  of  almost  every 
evening.  They  were  sewed  together,  and  patched  with  deer  skin  thongs,  or 
whangs  as  they  were  commonly  called.  In  cold  weather  the  moccasins  were 
well  stuffed  with  deers'  hair,  or  dry  leaves,  so  as  to  keep  the  feet  comfortably 
warm ;  but  in  wet  weather  it  was  usually  said  that  wearing  them  was  "  a 
decent  way  of  going  barefooted  ;"  and  such  was  the  fact,  owing  to  the  spongy 
texture  of  the  leather  of  which  they  were  made. 

Owing  to  this  defective  covering  of  the  feet,  more  than  to  any  other  cir- 
camstance,  the  great  number  of  our  hunters  and  warriors  were  afflicted  with 
the  rheumatism  in  their  limbs.  Of  this  disease  they  were  all  apprehensive 
in  cold  or  wet  weather,  and  therefore  always  slept  with  their  feet  to  the  fire, 
to  prevent  or  cure  it  as  well  as  they  could.  This  practice,  unquestionably, 
had  a  very  salutary  effect,  and  prevented  many  of  them  from  becoming  con- 
firmed cripples  in  early  life. 

In  the  latter  years  of  the  Indian  war,  our  young  men  became  more  enamor- 
ed of  the  Indian  dress  throughout,  with  the  exception  of  the  matchcoat. 
The  drawers  were  laid  aside  and  the  leggins  made  longer,  so  as  to  reach  the 
upper  part  of  the  thigh.  The  Indian  breech-clout  was  adopted.  This  was  a 
piece  of  linen  or  cloth,  nearly  a  yard  long,  and  eight  or  nine  inches  broad. 
This  passed  under  the  belt,  before  and  behind,  leaving  the  ends  for  flaps, 
(hanging  before  and  behind  over  the  belt. — These  flaps  were  sometimes  orna- 
mented with  some  coarse  kind  of  embroidery  work.  To  the  same  belts  which 
secured  the  breech  clout,  strings  which  supported  the  long  leggins  were  at- 
tached. When  this  belt,  as  was  often  the  case,  passed  over  the  hunting 
shirt,  the  upper  part  of  the  thighs  and  part  of  the  hips  were  naked.  The 
youns;  warrior,  instead  of  being  abashed  by  this  nudity,  was  proud  of  his  Indian 
like  dress.  In  some  few  instances  1  have  seen  them  go  into  places  of  public 
worship  in  this  dress.  Their  appearance,  however,  did  not  add  much  to  the 
devotion  of  the  young  ladies. 

The  linsey  petticoat  and  bed  gown  which  were  the  universal  dress  of  our 
women  in  early  times,  would  make  a  strange  figure  in  our  days.  A  small 
home-made  handkerchief,  in  point  of  elegance,  would  illy  supply  the  place 
of  that  profusion  of  ruffles  with  which  the  necks  of  our  ladies  are  now  [1824] 
ornamented. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  201 

They  went  barefooted  in  warm  weather,  and  in  cold,  their  feet  were  co- 
vered with  moccasins,  coarse  shoes,  or  shoe-packs,  which  would  make  but  a 
sorry  figure  beside  the  elegant  morocco  slippers,  often  embossed  with  bullion, 
which  at  present  ornament  the  feet  of  their  daughters  and  grand-daughters. 
The  coats  and  bed-gowns  of  the  women  as  well  as  the  hunting-shirts  of  the 
men,  were  hung  in  full  display,  on  wooden  pegs,  round  the  walls  of  their 
cabins,  so  that  while  they  answered  in  some  degree  the  place  of  paper  hang- 
ings or  tapestry,  they  announced  to  the  stranger  as  well  as  neighbor  the 
wealth  or  poverty  of  the  family  in  the  articles  of  clothing.  This  practice  has 
not  yet  been  wholly  laid  aside  among  the  backwoods  families. 

The  historian  would  say  to  the  ladies  of  the  present  time: — our  ancestors 
of  your  sex  knew  nothing  of  the  ruffles,  leghorns,  curls,  combs,  rings,  and 
jewels  with  which  their  fair  daughters  now  [1824]  decorate  themselves.  Such 
things  were  not  then  to  be  had.  Many  of  the  younger  part  of  them  were 
pretty  well  grown  up  before  they  ever  saw  the  inside  of  a  store,  or  even  knew 
there  was  such  a  thing  in  the  world,  unless  by  hearsay,  and  indeed  scarcely 
that.  Instead  of  the  toilet,  they  had  to  handle  the  distaff  and  shuttle,  the 
sickle  or  weeding  hoe,  contented  if  they  could  obtain  their  linsey  clothing, 
and  cover  their  heads  with  a  sun  bonnet  made  of  six  or  seven  hundred  linen. 

The  Fort. — My  reader  will  understand  by  this  term,  not  only  a  place  of 
defense,  but  the  residence  of  a  small  number  of  families  belonging  to  the 
same  neighborhood. 

The  stockades,  bastions,  cabins,  and  block-house  walls  were  furnished  with 
port-holes  at  proper  heights  and  distances.  The  whole  of  the  outside  was 
made  completely  bullet-proof.  It  may  be  truly  said  that  necessity  is  the  mo- 
ther of  invention;  for  the  whole  of  this  work  was  made  without  the  aid  of  a 
single  nail  or  spike  of  iron,  and  for  this  reason,  such  things  were  not  to  be 
had.  In  some  places,  less  exposed,  a  single  block-house,  with  a  cabin  or 
two,  constituted  the  whole  fort. 

The  families  belonging  to  these  forts  were  so  attached  to  their  own  cabins 
on  their  farms,  that  they  seldom  moved  into  their  fort  in  the  spring  until  com- 
pelled by  some  alarm,  as  they  called  it;  that  is,  when  it  was  announced  by 
some  murder,  that  Indians  were  in  the  settlement.  The  fort  to  which  my 
father  belonged,  was,  during  the  first  years  of  the  war,  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  from  his  farm ;  but  when  this  fort  went  to  decay,  and  became  unfit  for 
defense,  a  new  one  was  built  at  his  own  house.  I  well  remember  that,  when 
a  little  boy,  the  family  were  sometimes  waked  up  in  the  dead  of  night  by  an 
express,  with  a  report  that  the  Indians  were  at  hand.  The  express  came 
softly  to  the  door,  or  back  window,  and  by  a  gentle  tapping  raised  the  family. 
This  was  easily  done,  as  an  habitual  fear  made  us  ever  watchful,  and  sensi- 
ble to  the  slightest  alarm.  The  whole  family  were  instantly  in  motion.  My 
father  seized  his  gun  and  other  implements  of  war.  My  step-mother  waked 
up  and  dressed  the  children  as  well  as  she  could,  and  being  myself  the  oldest 
of  the  children,  I  had  to  take  my  share  of  the  burdens  to  be  carried  to  the 
fort.  There  was  no  possibility  of  getting  a  horse,  in  the  night,  to  aid  us  in 
removing  to  the  fort.  Beside  the  little  children,  we  caught  up  what  articles 
of  clothing  and  provision  we  could  get  hold  of  in  the  dark,  for  we  durst  not 
light  a  candle,  or  even  stir  the  fire.  All  this  was  done  with  the  utmost  dis- 
patch, and  the  silence  of  death.  The  greatest  care  was  taken  not  to  awaken 
the  youngest  child. 

To  the  rest  it  was  enough  to  say  Indian,  and  not  a  whisper  was  heard  af- 
terward. Thus,  it  often  happened  that  the  whole  number  of  families  belong- 
ing to  a  fort,  who  were  in  the  evening  at  their  homes,  were  all  in  their  little 
fortress  before  the  dawn  of  the  next  morning.  In  the  course  of  the  succeed- 


202  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES,       . 

ing  day,  their  household  furniture  was  brought  in  by  parties  of  the  if,en  undei 
arms.  Some  families  belonging  to  each  fort  were  much  less  undet  the  influ> 
ence  of  fear  than  others,  and  who,  after  an  alarm  had  subsided,  in  spite  of 
every  remonstrance,  would  remove  home,  while  their  more  prudent  neighbors 
remained  in  the  fort.  Such-  families  were  denominated  "fool-hardy,"  and 
gave  no  small  amount  of  trouble,  by  creating  such  frequent  necessities  of 
sending  runners  to  warn  them  of  their  danger,  and  sometimes  parties  of  our 
men  to  protect  them  during  their  removal. 

Caravans. — The  acquisition  of  the  indispensable  articles  of  salt,  iron, 
steel  and  castings,  presented  great  difficulties  to  the  first  settlers  of  the  west- 
ern country.  They  had  no  stores  of  any  kind,  no  salt,  iron,  nor  iron  works; 
nor  had  they  money  to  make  purchases  where  those  articles  could  be  obtain- 
ed. Peltry  and  furs  were  their  only  resources,  before  they  had  time  to  raise 
horses  and  cattle  for  sale  in  the  Atlantic  states. 

Every  family  collected  what  peltry  and  fur  they  could  obtain  throughout 
the  year,  for  the  purpose  of  sending  them  over  the  mountains  for  barter.  In 
the  fall  of  the  year,  after  seeding  time,  every  family  formed  an  association 
with  some  of  their  neighbors,  for  starting  the  little  caravan.  A  master  driver 
was  selected  from  among  them,  who  was  to  be  assisted  by  one  or  more  young 
men,  and  sometimes  by  a  boy  or  two.  The  horses  were  fitted  out  with  pack- 
saddles,  to  the  hinder  part  of  which  was  fastened  a  pair  of  hobbles,  made  of 
hickory  withes,  a  bell  and  collar  ornamented  his  neck.  The  bags  provided 
for  the  conveyance  of  the  salt  were  filled  with  feed  for  the  horses ;  on  the 
journey,  a  part  of  this  feed  was  left  at  convenient  stages  on  the  way  down,  to 
support  the  return  of  the  caravan ;  large  wallets,  well  filled  with  bread,  jerk, 
boiled  ham,  and  cheese,  furnished  provision  for  the  drivers.  At  night,  after 
feeding,  the  horses,  whether  put  in  pasture  or  turned  out  into  the  woods,  were 
hobbled,  and  the  bells  were  opened. 

The  barter  for  salt  and  iron  was  made  first  at  Baltimore.  Frederick,  Ha- 
gerstown,  Oldtown  and  Fort  Cumberland  in  succession  became  the  place  of 
exchange.  Each  horse  carried  two  bushels  of  alum  salt,  weighing  eighty- 
four  pounds  the  bushel.  This,  to  be  sure,  was  not  a  heavy  load  for  the  horses, 
but  it  was  enough,  considering  the  scanty  subsistence  allowed  them  on  the 
journey.  The  common  price  of  a  bushel  of  alum  salt,  at  an  early  period, 
was  a  good  cow  and  calf;  and,  until  weights  were  introduced,  the  salt  was 
measured  into  the  half  bushel,  by  hand,  as  lightly  as  possible.  No  one  was 
permitted  to  walk  heavily  over  the  floor  while  the  operation  of  measuring 
was  going  on. 

The  Wedding. — For  a  long  time  after  the  first  settlement  of  this  country, 
the  inhabitants  in  general  married  young.  There  was  no  distinction  of  rank, 
and  very  little  of  fortune.  On  these  accounts  the  first  impression  of  love  re- 
sulted in  marriage  ;  and  a  family  establishment  cost  but  a  little  labor,  and 
nothing  else.  A  description  of  a  wedding,  from  the  beginning  to  the  end, 
will  serve  to  show  the  manners  of  our  forefathers,  and  mnrk  the  grade  of 
civilization  which  has  succeeded  to  their  rude  state  of  society  in  the  course 
of  a  few  years.  At  an  early  period,  the  practice  of  celebrating  the  marriage 
at  the  house  of  the  bride  began,  and,  it  should  seem,  with  great  propriety. 
She  also  had  the  choice  of  the  priest  to  perform  the  ceremony. 

A  wedding  engaged  the  attention  of  a  whole  neighborhood ;  and  the  frolic 
was  anticipated  by  old  and  young  with  eager  expectation.  This  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at,  when  it  is  told  that  a  wedding  was  almost  the  only  gathering 
which  was  not  accompanied  with  the  labor  of  reaping,  log-rolling,  building  a 
cabin,  or  planning  some  scout  or  campaign. 

In  the  morning  of  the  wedding-day,  the  groom  and  his  attendants  assembled 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  203 

at  the  house  of  his  father,  for  the  purpose  of  reaching  the  mansion  of  his  bride 
by  noon,  which  was  the  usual  time  for  celebrating  the  nuptials,  which  for 
certain  must  take  place  before  dinner. 

Let  the  reader  imagine  an  assemblage  of  people,  without  a  store,  tailor,  or 
mantuamaker,  within  a  hundred  miles  ;  and  an  assemblage  of  horses,  without 
a  blacksmith  or  saddler  within  an  equal  distance.  The  gentlemen  dressed  in 
shoe-packs,  moccasins,  leather  breeches,  leggins,  linsey  hunting-shirts,  and  all 
home-made.  The  ladies  dressed  in  linsey  petticoats,  and  linsey  or  linen 
bed-gowns,  coarse  shoes,  stockings,  handkerchiefs,  and  buckskin  gloves,  if 
any.  If  there  were  any  buckles,  rings,  buttons,  or  ruffles,  they  were  the 
relics  of  old  times  ;  family  pieces,  from  parents  or  grand-parents.  The  horses 
were  caparisoned  with  old  saddles,  old  bridles  or  halters,  ar>d  pack-saddles 
with  a  bag  or  blanket  thrown  over  them ;  a  rope  or  string  as  often  constituted 
the  girth,  as  a  piece  of  leather. 

The  march,  in  double  tile,  was  often  interrupted  by  the  narrowness  arid  ob- 
structions of  our  horse-paths,  as  they  were  called,  for  we  had  no  roads ;  and 
these  difficulties  were  olten  increased,  sometimes  by  the  good,  and  sometimes 
by  the  ill-will  of  neighbors,  by  falling  trees,  and  tying  grape-vines  across  the 
way.  Sometimes  an  ambuscade  was  formed  by  the  wayside,  and  an  unex- 
pected discharge  of  several  guns  took  place,  so  as  to  cover  the  wedding-party 
with  smoke.  Let  the  reader  imagine  the  scene  which  followed  this  discharge; 
the  sudden  spring  of  the  horses,  the  shrieks  of  the  girls,  and  the  chivalric 
bustle  of  their  partners  to  save  them  from  falling.  Sometimes,  in  spite  of  all 
that  could  be  done  to  prevent  it,  some  were  thrown  to  the  ground.  If  a  wrist, 
elbow,  or  ankle  happened  to  be  sprained,  it  was  tied  with  a  handkerchief,  and 
little  more  was  thought  or  said  about  it. 

Another  ceremony  commonly  took  place  before  the  party  reached  the  house 
of  the  bride,  after  the  practice  of  making  whisky  began,  which  was  at  an 
early  period ;  when  the  party  were  about  a  mile  from  the  place  of  their  des- 
tination, two  young  men  would  single  out  to  run  for  the  bottle ;  the  worse  the 
path,  the  more  logs,  brush,  and  deep  hollows,  the  better,  as  these  obstacles 
afforded  an  opportunity  for  the  greater  display  of  intrepidity  and  horseman- 
ship. The  English  fox-chase,  in  point  of  danger  to  the  riders  and  their 
horses,  is  nothing  to  this  race  for  the  bottle.  The  start  was  announced  by 
an  Indian  yell;  logs,  brush,  muddy  hollows,  hill  and  glen,  were  speedily 
passed  by  the  rival  ponies.  The  bottle  was  always  filled  for  the  occasion,  so 
that  there  was  no  use  for  judges ;  for  the  first  who  reached  the  door  was  pre- 
sented with  the  prize,  with  which  he  returned  in  triumph  to  the  company. 
On  approaching  them,  he  announced  his  victory  over  his  rival  by  a  shrill 
whoop.  At  the  head  of  the  troop,  he  gave  the  bottle  first  to  the  groom  and 
his  attendants,  and  then  to  each  pair  in  succession  to  the  rear  of  the  line, 
giving  each  a  dram  ;  and  then  putting  the  bottle  in  the  bosom  of  his  hunting- 
shirt,  took  his  station  in  the  company. 

The  ceremony  of  the  marriage  preceded  the  dinner,  which  was  a  substan- 
tial backwoods  feast,  of  beef,  pork,  fowls,  and  sometimes  venison  and  bear- 
meat,  roasted  and  boiled,  with  plenty  of  potatoes,  cabbage  and  other  vegeta- 
bles. During  the  dinner,  the  greatest  hilarity  always  prevailed,  although  the 
table  might  be  a  large  slab  of  timber,  hewed  out  with  a  broadax,  supported 
by  four  sticks  set  in  auger-holes ;  and  the  furniture,  some  old  pewter  dishes 
and  plates  ;  the  rest,  wooden  bowls  and  trenchers ;  a  few  pewter  spoons,  much 
battered  about  the  edges,  were  to  be  seen  at  some  tables.  The  rest  were 
made  of  horns.  If  knives  were  scarce,  the  deficiency  was  made  up  by  the 
scalping-knives,  which  were  carried  in  sheaths  suspended  to  the  belt  of  the 
hunting-shirt.  ,* 


204  HISTORICAL   EVENTS-REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

After  dinner  the  dancing  commenced,  and  generally  lasted  until  the  next 
morning.  The  figures  of  the  dances  were  three  and  four-handed  reels,  or 
square  sets  and  jigs.  The  commencement  was  always  a  square  four,  which 
was  followed  by  what  was  called  jigging  it  off;  that  is,  two  of  the  four  would 
single  out  for  a  jig?  and  were  followed  by  the  remaining  couple.  The  jigs 
were  often  accompanied  with  what  was  called  cutting  out ;  that  is,  when 
either  of  the  parties  became  tired  of  the  dance,  on  intimation  the  place  was 
supplied  by  some  one  of  the  company  without  any  interruption  of  the  dance. 
In  this  way  a  dance  was  often  continued  until  the  musician  was  heartily  tired 
of  his  situation.  Toward  the  latter  part  of  the  night,  if  any  of  the  company 
through  weariness,  attempted  to  conceal  themselves,  for  the  purpose  of  sleep- 
ing, they  were  hunted  up,  paraded  on  the  floor,  and  the  fiddler  ordered  to  play, 
"Hang  out  until  to-morrow  morning." 

About  nine  or  ten  o'clock,  a  deputation  of  the  young  ladies  stole  off  the 
bride,  and  put  her  to  bed.  In  doing  this,  it  frequently  happened  that  they 
had  to  ascend  a  ladder  instead  of  a  pair  of  stairs,  leading  from  the  dining 
and  ball-room  to  the  loft,  the  floor  of  which  was  made  of  clapboards,  lying 
loose,  and  without  nails.  As  the  foot  of  the  ladder  was  commonly  behind 
the  door,  which  was  purposely  opened  for  the  occasion,  and  its  rounds  at  the 
inner  ends  were  well  hung  with  hunting-shirts,  petticoats,  and  other  articles 
of  clothing,  the  candles  being  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  house,  the  exit  of 
the  bride  was  noticed  but  by  few.  This  done,  a  deputation  of  young  men  in 
like  manner  stole  off  the  groom,  and  placed  him  snugly  by  the  side  of  his 
bride.  The  dance  still  continued;  and  if  seats  happened  to  be  scarce,  which 
was  often  the  case,  every  young  man,  when  not  engaged  in  the  dance,  was 
obliged  to  offer  his  lap  as  a  seat  for  one  of  the  girls ;  and  the  offer  was  sure 
to  be  accepted.  In  the  midst  of  this  hilarity  the  bride  and  groom  were  not 
forgotten.  Pretty  late  in  the  night,  some  one  would  remind  the  com- 
pany that  the  new  couple  must  stand  in  need  of  some  refreshment  — 
Black  Betty,  which  was  the  name  of  the  bottle,  was  called  for,  and  sent 
up  the  ladder ;  but  sometimes  Black  Betty  did  not  go  alone.  I  have  many 
times  seen  as  much  bread,  beef,  pork,  and  cabbage,  sent  along  with 
her,  as  would  afford  a  good  meal  for  half  a  dozen  hungry  men.  The 
young  couple  were  compelled  to  eat  and  drink,  more  or  less,  of  whatever  was 
offered  them. 

In  the  course  of  the  festivity,  if  any  wanted  to  help  himself  to  a  dram  and 
the  young  couple  to  a  toast,  he  would  call  out,  "  Where  is  Black  Betty,  I 
want  to  kiss  her  sweet  lips."  Black  Betty  was  soon  handed  to  him  ;  then 
holding  her  up  in  his  right  hand,  he  would  say,  "Here's  health  to  the  groom, 
not  forgetting  myself;  and  here's  health  to  the  bride — thumping  luck  and  big 
children!"  This,  so  far  from  being  taken  amiss,  was  considered  as  an  ex- 
pression of  a  very  proper  and  friendly  wish,  for  big  children,  especially  sons, 
were  of  great  importance,  as  we  were  few  in  number  and  engaged  in  perpetual 
hostility  with  the  Indians,  the  end  of  which  no  one  could  foresee.  Indeed, 
many  of  them  seemed  to  suppose  that  war  was  the  natural  state  of  man,  and 
therefore  did  not  anticipate  any  conclusion  of  it ;  every  big  son  was  therefore 
considered  as  a  young  soldier. 

It  often  happened  that  some  Leighbors  or  relations,  not  being  asked  to  the 
wedding,  took  offense ;  and  the  mode  of  revenge  adopted  by  them  on  such 
occasions,  was  that  of  cutting  off  the  manes,  foretops,  and  tails  of  the  horses 
of  the  wedding  company. 

On  returning  to  the  infare,  the  order  of  procession,  and  the  race  for  Black 
Betty,  was  the  same  as  before.  The  feasting  and  dancing  often  lasted  for 
several  days,  at  the  end  of  which  the  whole  company  were  so  exhausted  with 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  205 

oss  of  sleep,  that  several  days'  rest  were  requisite  to  fit  them  to  return  to 
their  ordinary  labors. 

Should  I  be  asked  why  I  have  presented  this  unpleasant  portrait  of  the  rude 
manners  of  our  forefathers — I  in  my  turn  would  ask  my  reader,  why  are  you 
pleased  with  the  blood  and  carnage  of  battles?  Why  are  you  delighted  with 
the  fictions  of  poetry,  the  novel,  and  romance?  I  have  related  truth,  and  only 
truth,  strange  as  it  may  seem.  I  have  depicted  a  state  of  society  and  man- 
ners which  are  fast  vanishing  from  the  memory  of  man,  with  a  view  to  give 
the  youth  of  our  country  a  knowledge  of  the  advantages  of  civilization,  and  to 
give  contentment  to  the  aged,  by  preventing  them  from  saying,  "  that  former 
times  were  better  than  the  present." 

The  House-Warming. — I  will  proceed  to  state  the  usual  manner  of  settling 
a  young  couple  in  the  world.  A  spot  was  selected  on  a  piece  of  land  of  one 
of  the  parents,  for  their  habitation.  A  day  was  appointed,  shortly  after  their 
marriage,  for  commencing  the  building  of  their  cabin.  The  fatigue  party 
consisted  of  choppers,  whose  business  it  was  to  fell  the  trees  and  cut  them 
off  at  proper  lengths.  A  man  with  a  team  for  hauling  them  to  the  place, 
and  arranging  them  properly  assorted,  at  the  ends  and  sides  of  the  building; 
a  carpenter,  if  such  he  might  be  called,  whose  business  it  was  to  search  the 
woods  for  a  proper  tree  for  making  clap-boards  for  the  roof.  Thn  tree  for 
this  purpose  must  be  straight-grained,  and  from  three  to  four  feet  in  diameter. 
The  boards  were  split  four  feet  long,  with  a  large  frow,  and  as  wide  as  the 
timber  would  allow.  They  were  used  without  planing  or  shaving.  Another 
division  was  employed  in  getting  puncheons  for  the  floor  of  the  cabin. 
This  was  done  by  splitting  trees,  about  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  and 
hewing  the  faces  of  them  with  a  broad-ax.  They  were  half  the  length  of 
the  floor  they  were  intended  to  make. 

The  materials  for  the  cabin  were  mostly  prepared  the  first  day,  and  some- 
times the  foundation  laid  in  the  evening.  The  second  day  was  allotted  for 
the  raising.  In  the  morning  of  the  next  day  the  neighbors  collected  for  the 
raising.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  the  election  of  four  corner  men,  whose 
business  it  was  to  notch  and  place  the  logs.  The  rest  of  the  company  fur- 
nished them  with  the  timbers.  In  the  meantime  the  boards  and  puncheons 
were  collecting  for  the  floor  and  the  roof,  so  that  by  the  time  the  cabin  was  a 
few  rounds  high,  the  sleepers  and  floor  began  to  be  laid.  The  door  was 
made  by  sawing  or  cutting  the  logs  on  one  side,  so  as  to  make  an  opening 
about  three  feet  wide.  This  opening  was  secured  by  upright  pieces  of  timber, 
about  three  inches  thick,  through  which  holes  were  bored  into  the  ends  of 
the  logs  for  the  purpose  of  pinning  them  fast.  A  similar  opening,  but  wider, 
was  made  at  the  end  for  the  chimney.  This  was  built  of  logs,  and  made 
large,  so  as  to  admit  of  a  back  and  jambs  of  stone.  At  the  square,  two  end 
logs  projected  a  foot  or  eighteen  inches  beyond  the  wall,  to  receive  the  but- 
ting poles,  as  they  were  called,  against  the  end  of  which  the  first  run  of  clap- 
Boards  was  supported.  The  roof  was  formed  by  making  the  end  logs  shorter, 
•»ntil  a  single  log  formed  the  comb  of  the  roof. .  On  these  logs  the  clap-boards 
•rere  placed,  the  ranges  of  them  lapping  some  distance  over  those  next  below 
"\em,  and  kept  in  their  places  by  logs,  placed  at  proper  distances,  upon  them. 

The  roof,  and  sometimes  the  floor,  was  finished  on  the  same  day  of  the 
nising.  A  third  day  was  commonly  spent  by  a  few  carpenters  in  leveling 
vff  the  floor,  making  a  clap-board  door,  and  a  table.  This  last  was  made  of 
•N  split  slab,  and  supported  by  four  round  legs,  set  in  auger  holes.  Some 
Miree-legged  stools  were  made  in  the  same  manner.  Some  pins  stuck  in  the 
••ogs  at  the  back  of  the  house  supported  some  clap-boards,  which  served  for 
shelves  for  the  table  furniture.  A  fork,  placed  with  its  lower  end  in  a  hole  in 


206  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

the  floor,  and  the  upper  end  fastened  to  a  joist,  served  for  a  bedstead,  by  placing 
a  pole  in  the  fork,  with  one  end  through  a  crack  between  the  logs  of  the  wall. 
This  front  pole  was  crossed  by  a  shorter  one  within  the  fork,  with  its  outer 
end  through  another  crack.  From  the  front  pole,  through  a  crack  between 
the  logs  at  the  end  of  the  house,  the  boards  were  put  on  which  formed  the 
bottom  of  the  bed.  Sometimes  other  poles  were  pinned  to  the  fork,  a  little 
distance  above  these,  for  the  purpose  of  supporting  the  front  and  foot  of  the 
bed,  while  the  walls  were  the  supports  of  its  back  and  head.  A  few  pegs 
around  the  walls,  for  a  display  of  the  coats  of  the  women  and  the  hunting- 
shirts  of  the  men,  and  two  small  forks  or  buck's  horns  to  a  joist,  for  the  rifle 
and  shot-pouch,  completed  the  carpenters'  work.  In  the  meantime  masons 
were  at  work.  With  the  heart  pieces  of  timber  of  which  the  clap-boards 
were  made,  they  made  billets  for  chunking  up  the  cracks  between  the  logs  of 
the  cabin  and  chimney.  A  large  bed  ot  mortar  was  made  for  daubing  up 
those  cracks.  A  few  stones  formed  the  back  and  jambs  of  the  chimney. 

The  cabin  being  finished,  the  ceremony  of  house-warming  took  place,  be- 
fore the  young  couple  were  permitted  to  move  into  it.  The  house-warming 
was  a  dance  of  the  whole  night's  continuance,  made  up  of  the  relatives  of 
the  bride  and  groom,  and  their  neighbors.  On  the  day  following,  the  young 
couple  took  possession  of  their  new  mansion. 

Working. — The  necessary  labors  of  the  farms  along  the  frontiers,  were 
performed  with  every  danger  and  difficulty  imaginable.  The  whole  popula- 
tion of  the  frontiers  huddled  together  in  their  little  forts,  left  the  country  with 
every  appearance  of  a  deserted  region;  and  such  would  have  been  the  opinion 
of  a  traveler  on  arriving  at  it,  if  he  had  not  seen  here  and  there  a  small  field 
of  corn  or  other  grain  in  a  growing  state. 

It  is  easy  to  imagine  what  losses  must  have  been  sustained  by  our  first  set- 
tlers, owing  to  this  deserted  state  of  their  farms.  It  was  not  the  full  measure 
of  their  trouble  that  they  risked  their  lives,  and  often  lost  them,  in  subduing 
the  forest  and  turning  it  into  fruitful  fields ;  but  compelled  to  leave  them  in  a 
deserted  state  during  the  summer  season,  a  great  part  of  the  fruits  of  their 
labors  were  lost  by  this  untoward  circumstance.  Their  sheep  and  hogs  were 
devoured  by  the  wolves,  panthers,  and  bears.  Horses  and  cattle  were  often 
let  into  their  fields  through  breaches  made  in  their  fences  by  the  falling  of 
trees;  and  frequently  almost  the  whole  of  a  little  crop  of  corn  was  destroyed 
by  squirrels  and  raccoons,  so  that  many  families,  after  a  hazardous  and  labo- 
rious spring  and  summer,  had  but  little  left  for  the  comfort  of  the  dreary 
winter. 

The  early  settlers  on  the  frontiers  of  this  country  were  like  Arabs  of  the 
desert  of  Africa,  in  at  least  two  respects ;  every  man  was  a  soldier,  and  from 
early  in  the  spring  until  late  in  the  fall,  was  almost  continually  in  arms. 
Their  work  was  otten  carried  on  by  parties,  each  one  of  whom  had  his  riiie, 
and  everything  else  belonging  to  his  war  dress.  These  were  deposited  in 
some  central  place  in  the  field.  A  sentinel  was  stationed  outside  of  the  fence, 
so  that  on  the  least  alarm  the  whole  company  repaired  to  their  arms,  and 
were  ready  for  the  combat  in  a  moment. 

Here  again  the  rashness  of  some  families  proved  a  source  of  difficulty. 
Instead  of  joining  the  working  parties,  they  went  out  and  attended  their  farms 
by  themselves,  and  in  case  of  an  alarm,  an  express  was  sent  for  them,  and 
sometimes  a  party  of  men  to  guard  them  to  the  fort.  These  families,  in  some 
instances,  could  boast  that  they  had  better  crops,  and  were  better  provided  for 
the  winter  than  their  neighbors.  In  other  instances  their  temerity  cost  them 
their  lives. 

In  military  affairs,  when  every  one  concerned  is  left  to  his  own  will,  mat- 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  207 

ters  are  sure  to  be  but  badly  managed.  The  whole  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Virginia  presented  but  a  succession  of  military  camps  and  forts.  We 
had  military  officers,  that  is  to  say,  captains  and  colonels ;  but  they,  in  many 
respects,  were  only  nominally  such.  They  could  advise,  but  not  command. 
Those  who  chose  to  follow  their  advice,  did  so,  to  such  an  extent  as  suited 
their  fancy  or  interest.  Others  were  refractory,  and  thereby  gave  much  trou- 
ble. These  officers  would  lead  a  scout  or  campaign.  Those  who  thought 
proper  to  accompany  them  did  so;  those  who  did  not,  remained  at  home. 
Public  odium  was  the  only  punishment  for  their  laziness  or  cowardice. 

It  is  but  doing  justice  to  the  first  settlers  of  this  country  to  say,  that  in- 
stances of  disobedience  of  families  and  individuals  to  the  advice  of  our  offi- 
cers, were  by  no  means  numerous.  The  greater  number  cheerfully  submitted 
to  their  direction  with  a  prompt  and  faithful  obedience. 

Mechanic  Arts. — In  giving  a  history  of  the  state  of  the  mechanic  arts,  as 
they  were  exercised  at  an  early  period  of  the  settlement  of  this  country,  I 
shall  present  a  people  driven  by  necessity  to  perform  works  of  mechanical 
skill,  far  beyond  what  a  person  enjoying  all  the  advantages  of  civilization 
could  expect  from  a  population  placed  in  such  destitute  circumstances. 

My  reader  will  naturally  ask,  where  were  their  mills  for  grinding  the  grain? 
Where  were  their  tanners  for  making  leather?  Where  their  smith  shops  for 
making  and  repairing  their  farming  utensils?  Who  were  their  carpenters, 
tailors,  cabinet  workmen,  shoemakers  and  weavers?  The  answer  is,  those 
manufactures  did  not  exist,  nor  had  they  any  tradesmen  who  were  professedly 
such.  Every  family  were  under  the  necessity  of  doing  everything  for  them- 
selves, as  well  as  they  could. 

The  hominy  block  and  hand-mills  were  in  use  in  most  of  our  houses.  The 
first  was  made  of  a  large  block  of  wood,  about  three  feet  long,  with  an  ex- 
cavation burned  in  one  end,  wide  at  the  top  and  narrow  at  the  bottom,  so  that 
the  action  of  the  pestle  on  the  bottom,  threw  the  corn  up  the  sides  toward  the 
top  of  it,  from  whence  it  continually  fell  down  into  the  center.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  movement,  the  whole  mass  of  the  grain  was  pretty  equally 
subjected  to  the  strokes  of  the  pestle.  In  the  fall  of  the  year,  while  the  In- 
dian-corn was  soft,  the  block  and  pestle  did  pretty  well  for  making  meal  for 
Johnny  cake  and  mush;  but  were  rather  slow  when  the  corn  became  hard. 

The  sweep  was  sometimes  used  to  lessen  the  toil  of  pounding  grain  into 
meal.  This  was  a  pole  of  some  springy,  elastic  wood,  thirty  feet  long  or 
more.  The  butt  end  was  placed  under  the  side  of  a  house,  or  a  large  stump. 
This  pole  was  supported  by  two  forks,  placed  about  one-third  its  length  from 
the  butt  end,  so  as  to  elevate  the  small  end  about  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground 
To  this  was  attached,  by  a  large  mortice,  a  piece  of  a  sapling  about  five  or 
six  inches  in  diameter,  and  eight  or  ten  feet  long.  The  lower  end  of  this 
was  shaped  so  as  to  answer  for  a  pestle.  A  pin  of  wood  was  put  through  it 
at  a  proper  height,  so  that  two  persons  could  work  at  the  sweep  at  once. 
This  simple  machine  very  much  lessened  the  labor  and  expedited  the  work. 
In  the  Greenbriar  country,  where  they  had  a  number  of  saltpeter  caves,  the 
people  made  plenty  of  excellent  gunpowder,  by  means  of  those  sweeps  and 
mortars. 

A  machine,  still  more  simple  than  the  mortar  and  pestle,  was  used  foi 
making  meal  while  the  corn  was  too  soft  to  be  beaten.  It  was  called  a 
grater.  This  was  a  half  circular  piece  of  tin,  perforated  with  a  punch  from 
the  concave  side,  and  nailed  by  its  edges  to  a  block  of  wood.  The  ears  of 
corn  were  rubbed  on  the  rough  edges  of  the  holes,  while  the  meal  fell  through 
them  on  the  board  or  block,  to  which  the  grater  was  nailed,  which,  being  in 
a  slanting  direction,  discharged  the  meal  into  a  cloth  or  bowl  placed  for  its 
26 


208  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

reception.  This,  to  be  sure,  was  a  slow  way  of  making  meal,  but  necessity 
has  no  law. 

The  hand-mill  was  better  than  the  mortar  and  grater.  It  was  made  of 
two  circular  stones,  the  lowest  of  which,  was  called  the  bed  stone ;  the  upper 
one  the  runner.  These  were  placed  in  a  hoop,  with  a  spout  for  discharging 
the  meal.  A  staff  was  let  into  a  hole,  in  the  upper  surface  of  the  runner, 
near  the  outer  edge,  and  its  upper  end  through  a  hole  in  a  board  fastened  to 
a  joist  above,  so  that  two  persons  could  be  employed  in  turning  the  mill  at 
the  same  time.  The  grain  was  put  into  the  opening  in  the  runner  by  hand. 
These  mills  are  still  in  use  in  Palestine,  the  ancient  country  of  the  Jews. 
To  a  mill  of  this  sort  our  Savior  alluded,  when  with  reference  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  he  said,  "  Two  women  shall  be  grinding  at  a  mill,  the  one 
shall  be  taken  and  the  other  left." 

Our  first  water  mills  were  of  that  description,  denominated  tub-mills.  It 
consists  of  a  perpendicular  shaft,  to  the  lower  end  of  which  a  horizontal 
wheel  of  four  or  five  feet  diameter  is  attached.  The  upper  end  passes  through 
the  bed  stone,  and  carries  the  runner  after  the  manner  of  a  trundlehead. 
These  mills  were  built  with  very  little  expense,  and  many  of  them  answered 
the  purpose  very  well.  Instead  of  bolting-cloth,  sifters  were  in  general  use. 
These  were  made  of  deer  skins  in  the  state  of  parchment,  stretched  over  a 
hoop,  and  perforated  with  a  hot  wire. 

*  Our  clothing  was  all  of  domestic  manufacture.  We  had  no  other  resource 
for  clothing,  and  this,  indeed,  was  a  poor  one.  The  crops  of  flax  often 
failed,  and  the  sheep  were  destroyed  by  the  wolves.  Linsey,  which  is  made 
of  ilax  and  wool — the  former  the  chain,  and  the  latter  the  filling — was  the 
warmest  and  most  substantial  cloth  we  could  make.  Almost  every  house  con- 
tained a  loom,  and  almost  every  woman  was  a  weaver. 

Every  family  tanned  their  own  leather.  The  tan-vat  was  a  large  trough, 
sunk  to  the  upper  edge  in  the  ground.  A  quantity  of  bark  was  easily  ob- 
tained every  spring  in  clearing  and  fencing  land.  This,  after  drying,  was 
brought  in,  and  in  wet  diys  was  shaved  and  pounded  on  a  block  of  wood, 
with  an  ax  or  mallet.  Ashes  was  used  in  place  of  lime  for  taking  off  the 
hair.  Bear's  oil,  hog's  lard  and  tallow,  answered  the  place  offish  oil.  The 
leather,  to  be  sure,  was  coarse,  but  it  was  substantially  good.  The  operation 
of  currying  was  performed  by  a  drawing-knife,  with  its  edge  turned  after  the 
manner  of  a  curry  ing-knife.  The  blacking  for  the  leather  was  made  of  soot 
and  hog's  lard. 

Almost  every  family  contained  its  own  tailors  and  shoemakers.  Those 
who  could  not  make  shoes,  could  make  shoe-packs.  These,  like  moccasins, 
were  made  of  a  single  piece  of  leather,  with  the  exception  of  a  tongue-piece 
on  the  top  of  the  foot.  This  was  about  two  inches  broad,  and  circular  at  the 
lower  end.  To  this,  the  main  piece  of  leather  was  sewed  with  a  gathering 
stitch.  The  seam  behind  was  like  that  of  a  moccasin.  To  the  shoe-pack,  a 
sole  was  sometimes  added.  The  women  did  the  tailor  work.  They  could 
all  cut  out  and  make  hunting-shirts,  leggins  and  drawers. 

The  state  of  society  which  existed  in  our  country  at  an  early  period  of  its 
settlement,  is  well  calculated  to  call  into  action  every  native  mechanical 
genius.  There  was  in  almost  every  neighborhood,  some  one  whose  natural 
ingenuity  enabled  him  to  do  many  things  for  himself  and  neighbors,  far  above 
wlut  could  have  been  reasonably  expected.  With  the  few  tools  which  they 
brought  with  them  into  the  country,  they  certainly  performed  wonders.  Their 
plows,  harrows  with  their  wooden  teeth,  and  sleds,  were  in  many  instances 
well  made.  Their  cheaper  ware,  which  comprehended  everything  for  hold- 
ing milk  and  water,  was  generally  pretty  well  executed.  The  cedar  ware,  by 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  209 

having  alternately  a  white  and  red  stave,  was  then  thought  beautiful.  Many 
of  their  puncheon  floors  were  very  neat ;  their  joints  close  and  the  top  even 
and  smooth.  Their  looms,  although  heavy,  did  very  well.  Those  who 
could  not  exercise  these  mechanical  arts,  were  under  the  necessity  of  giving 
labor  or  barter  to  their  neighbors  in  exchange  for  the  use  of  them,  so  far  as 
their  necessities  required. 

Sports These  were  such  as  might  be  expected  among  a  people,  who, 

owing  to  their  circumstances  as  well  as  their  education,  set  a  higher  value  on 
physical  than  on  mental  endowments;  and  on  skill  in  hunting  and  bravery  in 
war,  than  on  any  polite  accomplishments  or  fine  arts. 

Amusements  are  in  many  instances  either  imitations  of  the  business  of  life, 
or  at  least  of  some  of  its  particular  objects  of  pursuit.  Many  of  the  sports  of 
the  early  settlers  were  imitative  of  the  exercises  and  the  stratagems  of  hunting 
and  war.  Boys  were  taught  the  use  of  the  bow  arid  arrow  at  an  early  age, 
and  acquired  considerable  expertness  in  their  use.  One  important  pastime 
of  our  boys  was  that  of  imitating  the  noise  of  every  bird  and  beast  in  the 
woods.  This  faculty  was  a  very  necessary  part  of  education,  on  account  of 
its  utility  in  certain  circumstances.  The  imitations  of  the  gobbling  and  other 
sounds  of  wild  turkeys,  often  brought  those  keen-eyed  and  ever  watchful  ten- 
ants of  the  forest,  within  reach  of  the  rifle.  The  bleating  of  the  fawn  brought 
its  dam  to  her  death  in  the  same  way.  The  hunter  often  collected  a  com- 
pany of  mopish  owls  to  the  trees  about  his  camp,  and  amused  himself  with 
their  hoarse  screaming.  His  howl  would  raise  and  obtain  responses  from  a 
pack  of  wolves,  so  as  to  inform  him  of  their  neighborhood  as  well  as  to  guard 
him  against  their  depredations. 

This  imitative  faculty  was  sometimes  requisite  as  a  measure  of  precaution 
in  war.  The  Indians,  when  scattered  about  in  a  neighborhood,  often  col- 
lected together  by  imitating  turkeys  by  day  and  wolves  or  owls  by  night.  I 
have  often  witnessed  the  consternation  of  a  whole  neighborhood  in  conse- 
quence of  a  few  screeches  of  owls.  An  early  and  correct  use  of  this  imita- 
tive faculty,  was  considered  as  an  indication  that  its  possessor  would  become, 
in  due  time,  a  good  hunter  and  a  valiant  warrior. 

Throwing  the  tomahawk  was  another  boyish  sport,  in  which  many  ac- 
quired considerable  skill.  The  tomahawk,  with  its  handle  of  a  certain  length, 
will  make  a  given  number  of  turns  in  a  given  distance.  Say,  in  h've  steps,  it 
will  strike  with  the  edge,  the  handle  downward ;  at  the  distance  of  seven  and 
a  half,  it  will  strike  with  its  edge,  the  handle  upward,  and  so  on.  A  lit- 
tle experience  enabled  the  boy  to  measure  the  distance  with  his  eye,  when 
walking  through  the  woods,  and  strike  a  tree  with  his  tomahawk  any  way  he 
chose. 

The  athletic  sports  of  running,  jumping  and  wrestling,  were  the  pastimes.^ 
of  the  boys  in  c'ommon,  with  the  men.  A  well  grown  boy,  at  the  age  of 
twelve  or  thirteen  years,  was  furnished  with  a  small  rifle  and  shot-pouch.  He 
then  became  a  fort  soldier,  and  had  his  port-hole  assigned  him.  Hunting 
squirrels,  turkeys  and  raccoons,  soon  made  him  expert  in  the  use  of  his  gun. 
Dancing  was  the  principal  amusement  of  our  young  people  of  both  sexes. 
Their  dances,  to  be  sure,  were  of  the  simplest  forms ;  three-handed  and  four- 
handed  reels  and  jigs.  Country  (contra)  dances,  cotillions  and  minuets,  were 
unknown.  I  remember  to  have  seen,  once  or  twice,  a  dance  which  was  cal- 
led «  The  Irish  Trot." 

Shooting  at  a  mark  was  a  common  diverson  among  the  men  when  their 
stock  of  ammunition  would  allow  it ;  this,  however,  was  far  from  being  al- 
ways the  case.  The  present  mode  of  shooting  off-hand  was  not  then  in  prac- 
tice. This  mode  was  not  considered  as  any  trial  of  the  value  of  a  gun ;  nor, 


210  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

indeed,  as  much  of  a  test  of  the  skill  of  a  marksman.  Their  shooting  was 
from  a  rest,  and  at  as  great  a  distance  as  the  length  and  weight  of  the  barrel 
of  the  gun  would  throw  a  ball  on  a  horizontal  level.  Such  was  their  regard 
to  accuracy  in  those  sportive  trials  of  their  rifles,  and  in  their  own  skill  in 
the  use  of  them,  that  they  often  put  moss  or  some  other  soft  substance  on  the 
log  or  the  stump  from  which  they  shot,  for  fear  of  having  the  bullet  thrown 
from  the  mark  by  the  spring  of  the  barrel.  When  the  rifle  was  held  to  the 
side  of  a  tree  for  a  rest,  it  was  pressed  against  it  as  lightly  as  possible,  for  the 
same  reason.  Rifles  of  former  times  were  different  from  those  of  modern  date; 
few  of  them  carried  more  than  forty-five  bullets  to  the  pound.  Bullets  of  a 
less  size  were  not  thought  sufficiently  heavy  for  hunting  or  war. 

Dramatic  narrations,  chiefly  concerning  Jack  and  the  Giant,  furnished  our 
young  people  with  another  source  of  amusement  during  their  leisure  hours. 
Many  of  these  tales  were  lengthy  and  embraced  a  considerable  range  of  inci- 
dent. Jack,  always  the  hero  of  the  story,  after  encountering  many  difficulties, 
and  performing  many  great  achievements,  always  came  off  conqueror  of  the 
Giant.  Many  of  these  stories  were  tales  of  knight  errantry,  in  which  some 
captive  virgin  was  released  and  restored  to  her  lover. 

Singing  was  another  but  not  very  common  amusement  amonoj  our  first  set- 
tlers. Their  tunes  were  rude  enough,  to  be  sure.  Robin  Hood  furnished  a 
number  of  our  songs ;  the  balance  were  mostly  tragical.  These  last  were  de- 
nominated "love  songs  about  murder."  As  to  cards,  dice,  back-gammon  and 
other  games  of  chance,  we  knew  nothing  about  them.  They  are  among  the 
blessed  gifts  of  civilization. 

Witchcraft. — The  belief  in  witchcraft  was  prevalent  among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  the  western  country.  To  the  witch  was  inscribed  the  tremendous 
power  of  inflicting  strange  and  incurable  diseases,  particularly  on  children ; 
of  destroying  cattle  by  shooting  them  with  hair  balls,  and  a  great  variety  of 
other  means  of  destruction ;  of  inflicting  spells  and  curses  on  guns  and  other 
things ;  and  lastly  of  changing  men  into  horses,  and  after  bridling  and  saddling 
them,  riding  them  at  full  speed  over  hill  and  dale,  to  their  frolics  and  other 
places  of  rendezvous.  More  ample  powers  of  mischief  than  these  cannot 
well  be  imagined. 

Wizards  were  men  supposed  to  possess  the  same  mischievous  powers  as 
the  witches ;  but  these  were  seldom  exercised  for  bad  purposes.  The  powers 
of  the  wizards  were  exercised  almost  exclusively  for  the  purpose  of  counter- 
acting the  malevolent  influences  of  the  witches  of  the  other  sex.  I  have 
known  several  of  those  witch  masters,  as  they  were  called,  who  made  a  pub- 
lic profession  of  curing  the  diseases  inflicted  by  the  influence  of  witches,  and 
I  have  known  respectable  physicians,  who  had  no  greater  proportion  of  busi- 
ness in  the  line  of  their  profession,  than  many  of  those  witch  masters  had  in 
theirs. 

The  means  by  which  the  witch  was  supposed  to  inflict  diseases,  curses  and 
spells,  I  never  could  learn.  They  were  hidden  sciences,  which  no  one  was 
supposed  to  understand,  excepting  the  witch  herself,  and  no  wonder,  as  no 
such  arts  ever  existed  in  any  country.  The  diseases  of  children,  supposed  to 
be  inflicted  by  witchcraft,  were  those  of  internal  dropsy  of  the  brain  and  the 
rickets.  The  symptoms  and  cure  of  these  destructive  diseases,  were  utterly 
unknown  in  former  times  in  this  country.  Diseases  which  neither  could  be 
accounted  for  nor  cured,  were  usually  ascribed  to  some  supernatural  agency 
of  a  malignant  kind. 

For  the  cure  of  the  diseases  inflicted  by  witchcraft,  the  picture  of  the  sup- 
posed witch  was  drawn  on  a  stump  or  a  board,  and  shot  at  with  a  bullet  con- 
taining a  little  bit  of  silver.  This  silver  bullet  transferred  a  painful,  and 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  211 

sometimes  a  mortal  spell  on  that  part  of  the  witch  corresponding  with  the 
part  of  the  portrait  struck  by  the  bullet.  Another  method  of  cure  was  that 
of  getting  some  of  the  child's  water,  which  was  closely  corked  up  in  a  vial 
and  hung  up  in  the  chimney.  This  complimented  the  witch  with  a  stran- 
guary,  which  lasted  as  long  as  the  vial  remained  in  the  chimney.  The  witch 
had  but  one  way  of  relieving  herself  of  any  spell  indicted  on  her  in  any  way. 
which  was  that  of  borrowing  something,  no  matter  what,  of  the  family  to 
which  the  subject  of  the  exercise  of  her  witchcraft  belonged.  I  have  known 
several  poor  old  women  much  surprised  at  being  refused  requests  which  had 
usually  been  granted  without  hesitation,  and  almost  heart-broken  when  in- 
formed of  the  cause  of  the  refusal. 

When  cattle  or  dogs  were  supposed  to  be  under  the  influence  of  witchcraft, 
they  were  burnt  in  the  forehead  by  a  branding-iron,  or  when  dead,  burned 
wholly  to  ashes.  This  inflicted  a  spell  upon  the  witch,  which  could  only  be 
removed  by  borrowing  as  above  stated. 

Witches  were  often  said  to  milk  the  cows  of  their  neighbors.  This  they 
did  by  fixing  a  new  pin  in  a  new  towel  for  each  cow  intended  to  be  milked!. 
This  towel  was  hung  over  her  own  door,  and  by  means  of  certain  incanta- 
tions, the  milk  was  extracted  from  the  fringes  of  the  towel,  after  the  nianner 
of  milking  a  cow.  This  happened  when  the  cows  were  too  poor  to  give 
much  milk.  The  first  German  glass-blowers  in  this  country,  drove  the 
witches  out  of  their  furnaces  by  throwing  living  puppies  into  them. 

Morals. — In  the  section  of  country  where  my  father  lived,  there  was  for 
many  years  after  the  settlement  of  the  country,  "neither  law  nor  gospel." 
Our  want  of  legal  government,  was  owing  to  the  uncertainty  whether  we  be- 
longed to  the  State  of  Virginia  or  Pennsylvania.  The  line  which  at  present 
divides  the  two  States,  was  not  run  until  some  time  after  the  conclusion  of 
the  Revolutionary  war.  Thus  it  happened  during  a  long  period  of  time,  that 
we  knew  nothing  of  courts,  lawyers,  magistrates,  sheriffs  or  constables. 
Every  one  was,  therefore,  at  liberty  "  to  do  whatsoever  was  right  in  his  own 
eyes.5' 

As  this  is  a  state  of  society  which  few  of  my  readers  have  ever  witnessed, 
I  shall  describe  it  as  minutely  as  I  can,  and  give  in  detail  those  moral  maxims 
which,  in  a  great  degree,  answered  the  important  purposes  of  municipal  juris- 
prudence. 

In  the  first  place  let  it  be  observed,  that  in  a  sparse  population,  where  all  the 
members  of  a  community  are  well  known  to  each  other,  and  especially  in  a 
time  of  war,  where  every  man  capable  of  bearing  arms  is  considered  highly 
valuable  as  a  defender  of  his  country,  public  opinion  has  its  full  effect,  and 
answers  the  purpose  of  a  legal  government,  better  than  it  would  in  a  dense 
population,  arm  in  a  time  of  peace. 

Such  was  the  situation  of  our  country,  along  the  line  of  our  settlement. 
They  had  no  civil,  military,  nor  ecclesiastical  laws,  at  least  none  that  were 
enforced ;  and  yet,  "  they  were  a  law  unto  themselves,"  as  to  the  leading 
obligations  of  our  nature,  in  all  the  relations  in  which  they  stood  to  each 
other.  The  turpitude  of  vice  and  the  majesty  of  moral  virtue,  were  then  as 
apparent  as  now,  and  were  then  regarded  with  the  same  sentiments  of  aver- 
sion or  respect  which  they  inspire  at  the  present  time.  Industry  in  working 
and  hunting ;  bravery  in  war ;  candor ;  hospitality ;  honesty  and  steadiness 
of  deportment,  received  their  full  reward  of  public  honor,  and  public  confi- 
dence among  our  rude  forefathers,  as  well  as  among  their  better  instructed 
and  more  polished  descendants.  The  punishments  which  they  inflicted  upon 
offenders  by  the  imperial  court  of  public  opinion,  were  well  adapted  for  the 
reformation  of  the  culprit,  or  his  expulsion  from  the  community. 


212  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

The  punishment  tor  idleness,  lying,  dishonesty  and  ill  fame  generally, 
that  of  "  hating  the  offender  out,"  as  they  generally  expressed  it.  This 
mode  of  chastisement,  was  like  the  atimea  of  the  Greeks.  It  was  a  public 
expression  in  various  ways,  of  a  general  sentiment  of  indignation  against 
si*ch  as  transgressed  the  moral  maxims  of  the  community  to  which  they  be- 
longed. This  commonly  resulted  either  in  the  reformation  or  banishment  of 
the  person  against  whom  it  was  directed. 

At  house-raisings,  log-rollings  and  harvest  parties,  every  one  was  expected 
to  do  his  duty  faithfully.  A  person  who  did  not  perform  his  share  of  labor 
on  these  occasions,  was  designated  by  the  epithet  of  "  Lawrence,"  or  some 
'other  title  still  more  opprobrious.  And  when  it  came  to  his  turn  to  require 
the  like  aid  from  his  neighbors,  the  idler  soon  felt  his  punishment  in  their  re- 
fusal to  attend  his  calls. 

Although  there  was  no  legal  compulsion  to  the  performance  of  military 
duty;  yet  every  man  of  full  age  and  size,  was  expected  to  do  his  full  share 
of  public  service.  If  he  did  not  do  so,  he  was  "hated  out  as  a  coward." 
Even  the  want  of  any  article  of  war  equipments,  such  as  ammunition,  a  stnrp 
ilint,  a  priming  wire,  a  scalping-knife  or  tomahawk,  was  thought  highly  dis- 
graceful. A  man  who,  without  a  reasonable  cause,  failed  to  go  on  a  scout  or 
campaign,  when  it  came  to  his  turn,  met  with  an  expression  of  indignation  in 
the  countenances  of  all  his  neighbors,  and  epithets  of  dishonor  were  fastened 
on  him  without  mercy. 

Debts,  which  make  such  an  uproar  in  civilized  life,  were  but  little  known 
among  our  forefathers  at  the  early  settlement  of  this  country.  After  the  de- 
preciation of  the  continental  paper,  they  had  no  money  of  any  kind ;  every- 
thing purchased  was  paid  for  in  produce  or  labor.  A  good  cow  and  calf  were 
often  the  price  of  a  bushel  of  alum  salt.  If  a  contract  was  not  punctually 
fulfilled,  the  credit  of  the  delinquent  was  at  an  end. 

Any  petty  theft  was  punished  with  all  the  infamy  that  could  be  heaped  on 
the  offender.  A  man  on  a  campaign  stole  from  his  comrade,  a  cake  out  of 
the  ashes,  in  which  it  was  baking.  He  was  immediately  named  "the  bread 
rounds."  This  epithet  of  reproach  was  bandied  about  in  this  way,  when  he 
came  in  sight  of  a  group  of  men,  one  of  them  would  call,  "  Who  comes 
there?"  Another  would  answer,  "The  bread  rounds."  If  any  one  meant 
to  be  more  serious  about  the  matter,  he  would  call  out,  "  Who  stole  a  cake 
out  of  the  ashes."  Another  replied  by  giving  the  name  of  the  man  in  full ; 
to  this,  a  third  would  give  confirmation  by  exclaiming,  "  That  is  true,  and  no 
lie."  This  kind  of  "  tongue-lashing"  he  was  doomed  to  hear,  for  the  rest  of 
the  campaign,  as  well  as  for  years  after  his  return  home. 

If  a  theft  was  detected  in  any  of  the  frontier  settlements,  a  summary  mode 
of  punishment  was  always  resorted  to.  The  first  settlers,  as  far  as  I  knew 
of  them,  had  a  kind  of  innate  or  hereditary  detestation  of  the  crime  of  theft, 
in  any  shape  or  degree,  and  their  maxim  was  that  "a  thief  must  be  whipped." 
If  the  theft  was  of  something  of  some  value,  a  kind  of  jury  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, after  hearing  the  testimony,  would  condemn  the  culprit  to  Moses'  law, 
that  is,  to  forty  stripes,  save  one.  If  the  theft  was  of  some  small  article,  the 
offender  was  doomed  to  carry  on  his  back  the  flag  of  the  United  States, 
which  then  consisted  of  thirteen  stripes.  In  either  case,  some  able  hands 
were  selected  to  execute  the  sentence,  so  that  the  stripes  were  sure  to  be  well 
laid  on. 

This  punishment  was  followed  by  a  sentence  of  exile.  He  then  was  in- 
formed that  he  must  decamp  in  so  many  days,  and  be  seen  there  no  more,  on 
penalty  of  having  the  number  of  his  stripes  doubled.  For  many  years  after, 
this  law  was  put  in  operation  in  the  western  part  of  Virginia ;  the  magistrates 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  213 

themselves  were  in  the  habit  of  giving  those  who  were  brought  before  them 
on  charges  of  small  thefts,  the  liberty  of  being  sent  to  jail  or  taking  a  whip- 
ping. The  latter  was  commonly  chosen,  and  was  immediately  inflicted,  after 
which  the  thief  was  ordered  to  clear  out.  In  some  instances,  stripes  were 
inflicted,  not  for  the  punishment  of  an  offense,  but  for  the  purpose  of  extort- 
ing a  confession  from  suspected  persons.  This  was  the  torture  of,  our  early 
times,  and,  no  doubt,  sometimes  very  unjustly  inflicted.  If  a  woman  was 
given  to  tattling  and  slandering  her  neighbors,  she  was  furnished,  by  common 
consent,  with  a  kind  of  patent  right  to  say  whatever  she  pleased,  without  be- 
ing believed.  Her  tongue  was  then  said  to  be  harmless,  or  to  be  no  scandal. 

With  all  their  rudeness,  these  people  were  given  to  hospitality,  and  freely 
divided  their  rough  fare  with  a  neighbor  or  stranger,  and  would  have  been  of- 
fended at  the  offer  of  pay.  In  their  settlements  and  forts,  they  lived,  they 
worked,  they  fought  and  feasted,  or  suffered  together  in  cordial  harmony. 
They  were  warm  and  constant  in  their  friendships.  On  the  other  hand,  they 
were  revengeful  in  their  resentments.  And  the  point  of  honor  sometimes  4ed 
to  personal  combats.  If  one  man  called  another  a  liar,  he  was  considered  as 
having  given  a  challenge  which  the  person  who  received  it  must  accept,  or  be 
deemed  a  coward,  and  the  charge  was  generally  answered  on  the  spot  with  a 
blow.  If  the  injured  person  was  decidedly  unable  to  fight  the  aggressor,  he 
might  get  a  friend  to  do  it  for  him.  The  same  thing  took  place  on  a  charge 
of  cowardice  or  any  other  dishonorable  action,  a  battle  must  follow,  and  the 
person  who  made  the  charge  must  fight  either  the  person  against  whom  he 
made  the  charge  or  any  champion  who  chose  to  espouse  his  cause.  Thus 
circumstanced,  our  people  in  early  times  were  much  more  cautious  of  speak- 
ing evil  of  their  neighbors  than  they  are  at  present. 

Sometimes  pitched  battles  occurred,  in  which  time,  place,  and  seconds, 
were  appointed  beforehand.  I  remember  having  seen  one  of  those  pitched 
battles  in  my  father's  fort,  when  a  boy.  One  of  the  young  men  knew  very 
well  beforehand  that  he  should  get  the  worst  of  the  battle,  and  no  doubt 
repented  the  engagement  to  fight;  but  there  was  no  getting  over  it.  The 
point  of  honor  demanded  the  risk  of  battle.  He  got  his  whipping;  they  then 
shook  hands  and  were  good  friends  afterward.  The  mode  of  single  combats 
in  those  days  was  dangerous  in  the  extreme  ;  although  no  weapons  were  used, 
fists,  teeth  and  feet  were  employed  at  will,  but  above  all,  the  detestable  prac- 
tice of  gouging,  by  which  eyes  were  sometimes  put  out,  rendered  this  mode 
of  fighting  frightful  indeed  —  it  was  not,  however,  so  destructive  as  the 
stiletto  of  an  Italian,  the  knife  of  a  Spaniard,  the  small  sword  of  the  French- 
man, or  the  pistol  of  the  American  or  English  duelist. 

Instances  of  seduction  and  bastardy  did  not  frequently  happen  in  our  early 
times.  I  remember  one  instance  of  the  former,  in  which  the  life  of  the  man 
was  put  in  jeopardy  by  the  resentment  of  the  family  to  which  the  girl  be- 
longed. Indeea,  considering  the  chivalrous  temper  of  our  people,  this  crime 
could  not  then  take  place  without  great  personal  danger  from  the  brothers,  or 
other  relations  of  the  victims  of  seduction  ;  family  honor  being  then  estimated 
at  a  high  rate. 

I  do  not  recollect  that  profane  language  was  much  more  prevalent  in  our 
early  times  than  at  present.  Among  the  people  with  whom  I  was  most  con- 
versant, there  was  no  other  vestige  of  the  Christian  religion  than  a  faint  ob- 
servation of  Sunday,  and  that  merely  as  a  day  of  rest  for  the  aged,  and  a  play 
for  the  young. 

The  first  Christian  service  I  ever  heard,  was  in  the  Garrison  Church,  Balti- 
more County,  Maryland,  where  my  father  had  sent  me  to  school.  I  was  then 
about  ten  years  old.  The  appearance  of  the  church,  the  windows  of  which 


214  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

were  Gothic,  the  white  surplice  of  the  minister,  and  the  responses  in  the  ser- 
vdce,  overwhelmed  me  with  surprise. 

Civilization. — The  causes  which  led  to  the  present  state  of  civilization  of 
the  western  country  are  subjects  which  deserve  some  consideration  in  a  wrork 
of  this  nature. 

The  state  of  society  and  manners  of  the  early  settlers,  as  presented  in  these 
notes,  shows  very  clearly  that  their  grade  of  civilization  was,  indeed,  low 
enough.  The  descendants  of  the  English  cavaliers  from  Maryland  and  Vir- 
ginia, who  settled  mostly  along  the  rivers,  and  the  descendants  of  the  Irish, 
who  settled  the  interior  parts  of  the  country,  were  neither  of  them  remarkable 
for  science,  or  urbanity  of  manners.  The  former  were  mostly  illiterate,  rough 
in  their  manners,  and  addicted  to  the  rude  diversions  of  horse-racing,  wrest- 
ling, jumping,  shooting,  dancing,  &c.  These  diversions  were  often  accom- 
panied with  personal  combats,  which  consisted  of  blows,  kicks,  biting  and 
fouging.  This  mode  of  fighting  was  what  they  called  rough  and  tumble. 
ometimes  a  previous  stipulation  was  made,  to  use  the  fists  only.  Yet  these 
people  were  industrious,  enterprising,  generous  in  their  hospitality,  and  brave 
in  the  defense  of  their  country. 

The  rude  sports  of  former  times  have  been  discontinued.  Athletic  trials 
of  muscular  strength  and  activity,  in  which  there  certainly  is  not  much  of 
merit,  have  given  way  to  the  more  noble  ambition  for  mental  endowments, 
and  skill  in  useful  arts.  To  the  rude,  and  often  indecent  songs,  but  roughly 
and  unskill fully  sung,  have  succeeded  the  psalm,  the  hymn,  and  swelling  an- 
them. To  the  clamorous  boast,  the  provoking  banter,  the  biting  sarcasm,  the 
horrid  oath  and  imprecation  have  succeeded  urbanity  of  manners,  and  a 
course  of  conversation  enlightened  by  science,  and  chastened  by  mental  atten- 
tion and  respect.  Above  all  the  direful  spirit  of  revenge,  the  exercise  of 
which  so  much  approximated  the  character  of  many  of  the  first  settlers  of  our 
country  to  that  of  the  worst  of  savages,  is  now  unknown. 

The  state  of  society  and  manners  from  the  commencement  of  the  settle- 
ments in  this  country,  during  the  lapse  of  many  years,  owing  to  the  sangui- 
nary character  of  the  Indian  mode  of  warfare,  and  other  circumstances,  was 
in  a  state  of  retrogression. 

The  early  introduction  of  commerce  was  among  the  first  means  of  chang- 
ing, in  some  degree,  the  exterior  aspect  of  the  population  of  the  country,  and 
giving  a  new  current  to  public  feeling  and  individual  pursuit.  The  huntsman 
and  warrior,  when  he  had  exchanged  his  hunter's  dress,  for  that  of  the  civil- 
ized man,  soon  lost  sight  of  his  former  occupations,  and  assumed  a  new  char- 
acter  and  a  new  line  of  life;  like  the  soldier,  who,  when  he  receives  his  dis- 
charge, and  lays  aside  his  regimentals,  soon  loses  the  feeling  of  a  soldier,  and 
even  forgets,  in  some  degree,  his  manual  exercise.  Had  not  commerce  fur- 
nished the  means  of  changing  the  dresses  of  our  people,  and  the  furniture  of 
their  houses;  had  the  hunting-shirt,  moccasin  and  leggins,  continued  to  be  the 
dress  of  our  men;  had  the  three-legged  stool,  the  noggin,  the  trencher  and 
wooden  bowl  continued  to  be  the  furniture  of  our  houses,  our  progress  toward 
science  and  civilization  would  have  been  much  slower.  It  may  seem  strange 
that  so  much  importance  is  attached  to  the  influence  of  dress  in  giving  the 
moral  and  intellectual  character  of  society. 

The  ultimate  objects  of  civilization  are  the  moral  and  physical  happiness 
of  man.  To  the  latter,  the  commodious  mansion  house,  with  its  furniture, 
contributes  essentially.  The  family  mansions  of  the  nations  of  the  earth, 
furnish  the  criterion  of  the  different  grades  of  their  moral  and  mental  condi- 
tion. The  savages  universally  live  in  tents,  wigwams  or  lodges,  covered  with 
earth.  Barbarians  next  to  these,  may  indeed  have  habitations  something 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  215 

better;   but  of  no  value  and  indifferently  furnished.     Such  are  the  habita- 
tions of  the  Russian  Tartar,  and  Turkish  peasantry. 

Such  is  the  effect  of  a  large,  elegant  ana  well  furnished  house,  on  the  feel- 
ings and  deportment  of  a  family,  that  if  you  were  to  build  one  for  a  family 
of  savages,  by  the  occupancy  of  it,  they  would  lose  their  savage  character:, 
or  if  they  did  not  choose  to  make  the  exchange  of  that  character,  for  that  of 
civilization,  they  would  forsake  it  for  the  wigwam  and  the  woods.  This  was 
done  by  many  of  the  early  stock  of  backwoodsmen,  even  after  they  built 
comfortable  houses  for  themselves.  They  no  longer  had  the  chance  of  "  A 
fall  hunt."  The  woods'  pasture  was  eaten  up.  They  wanted  "elbow  room." 
They,  therefore,  sold  out,  and  fled  to  the  forest  of  the  frontier  settlements, 
choosing  rather  to  encounter  the  toil  of  turning  the  wilderness  into  fruitful 
tields,  a  second  time,  and  even  risk  an  Indian  war,  rather  than  endure  the  in- 
conveniences of  a  crowded  settlement.  Kentucky  first  offered  a  resting-place 
for  those  pioneers,  then  Indiana,  and  now  the  Missouri,  and  it  cannot  be  long 
before  the  Pacific  Ocean  will  put  a  final  stop  to  the  westward  march  of  those 
lovers  of  the  wilderness. 

The  ministry  of  the  gospel  has  contributed,  no  doubt,  immensely  to  the 
happy  change  which  has  been  effected  in  the  state  of  our  western  society. 
At  an  early  period  of  our  settlements,  three  Presbyterian  clergymen  com- 
menced their  clerical  labors  in  our  infant  settlements.  They  were  pious,  pa- 
tient, laborious  men,  who  collected  their  people  into  regular  congregations, 
and  did  all  for  them  that  their  circumstances  would  allow.  It  was  no  dis- 
paragement to  them,  that  their  first  churches  were  the  shady  groves,  and  their 
first  pulpits  a  kind  of  tent,  constructed  of  a  few  rough  slabs,  and  covered  with 
clapboards.  "  He  who  dwelleth  not  exclusively  in  temples  made  with 
hands,"  was  propitious  to  their  devotions.  From  the  outset,  they  prudently 
resolved  to  create  a  ministry  in  the  country,  and  accordingly,  established  little- 
grammar  schools  at  their  own  houses,  or  in  their  immediate  neighborhoods. 
The  course  of  education  which  they  gave  their  pupils,  was  indeed,  not  ex- 
tensive ;  but  the  piety  of  those  who  entered  into  the  ministry,  more  than-, 
made  up  the  deficiency. 

At  a  later  period,  the  Methodist  Society  began  their  labors  in  the  western, 
parts  of  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania ;  their  progress  at  first  was  slow,   but 
their  zeal  and  perseverance,  at  length  overcame  every  obstacle.     The  itinerant; 
plan  of  their  ministry,  is  well  calculated  to  convey  the  gospel  throughout  a 
thinly  scattered  population.     Accordingly,  their  ministry  has  kept  pace  with 
the  extension  of  our  settlements.     The  little  cabin  was  scarcely  built,  and* 
the  little  field  fenced  in,  before  these  evangelical  teachers  made  their  appear- 
ance among  them,  collected  them  into  societies,  and  taught  them  the  wor- 
,  ship  of  God.     Had  it  not  been  for  the  labors  of  these  indefatigable  men,  our 
•  country,  as  to  a  great  extent  of  its  settlements,  would  have  beenx  at  this  day,. 
|  a  semi-barbaric  region. 

With  the  Catholics,  I  have  but  little  acquaintance,  but  have  every  reason 
I  to  believe,  that  in  proportion  to  the  extent  of  their  flocks,   they  have  done 
|  well.     Their  clergy,  with  apostolic  zeal,  but  in  an  unostentatious  manner, 
I  have  sought  out  and  ministered  to  their  scattered  flocks  throughout  the  coun- 
try ;  and,  as  far  as  I  know,  with  good  success.     The  Society  of  Friends,  in 
the  western  country,   are  numerous,  and  their  establishments  in  good  order. 
Their  habits  of  industry  and  attention  to  useful  arts  and  improvements,  are 
highly  honorable  to  themselves,  and  worthy  of  imitation.     The  Baptists  in 
the  iState  of  Kentucky,  took  the  lead  in  the  ministry,  and  with  great  success 
The  German,  Lutheran  and  Reformed  Churches,  have  done  well. 

The  Episcopalian  Church,  which  ought  to  have  been  foremost  in  gather- 
27 


216  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

ing  in  their  scattered  flocks,  have  been  the  last,  and  done  the  least  of  any 
Christian  community  in  the  evangelical  work.  Taking  the  western  country 
in  its  whole  extent,  at  least  one  half  of  its  population,  was  originally  of  Epis- 
copalian parentage  ;  but  for  want  of  a  ministry  of  their  own,  have  associated 
with  other  communities.  They  had  no  alternative,  but  that  of  changing  their 
profession,  or  living  and  dying  without  the  ordinances  of  religion.  It  can  be 
no  subject  of  regret,  that  those  ordinances  were  placed  within  their  reach  by 
other  hands,  while  they  were  withheld  by  those,  by  whom,  as  a  matter  of 
right  and  duty,  they  ought  to  have  been  given.  One  single  chorea  episcopus, 
or  suffragan  bishop,  of  a  faithful  spirit,  who,  twenty  years  ago  (1804)  should 
have  "  ordained  them  elders  in  every  place  "  where  they  were  needed,  would 
have  been  the  instrument  of  forming  Episcopal  congregations  over  a  great  extent 
of  country,  and  which,  by  this  time,  would  have  become  large,  numerous  ana 
respectable  ;  but  the  opportunity  was  neglected,  and  the  consequent  loss  to 
this  church  is  irreparable.  So  total  a  neglect  of  the  spiritual  interests  of  so 
many  valuable  people,  for  so  great  a  length  of  time,  by  a  ministry  so  near  at 
hand,  is  a  singular  and  unprecedented  fact  in  ecclesiastical  history,  the  like 
of  which  never  occurred  before. 

I  beg  that  it  may  be  understood,  that  with  the  distinguishing  tenets  of 
our  religious  societies,  I  have  nothing  to  do,  nor  yet  with  the  excellencies 
or  defects  of  their  ecclesiastical  institutions.  They  are  noticed  on  no  other 
ground  than  that  of  their  respective  contributions  to  the  science  and  civiliza- 
tion of  the  country.  The  last,  but  not  the  least  of  the  means  of  our  present 
civilization,  are  our  excellent  forms  of  government,  and  the  administration  of 
the  laws. 


ORIGIN  OF  CAMP  MEETINGS. 

THE  year  1799,  was  distinguished  for  the  commencement  of  those  great 
revivals  of  religion  in  the  West,  which  introduced  the  practice  of  holding 
"  camp  meetings  "  in  the  United  States.  This  work  commenced  under  the 
united  labors  of  two  brothers  named  M'Ghee,  one  a  Presbyterian,  and  the 
other  a  Methodist  preacher, — the  one  settled  over  a  congregation  in  Sunmer, 
and  the  other  in  Smith  County,  West  Tennessee. 

In  the  year  1799,  they  set  off  on  a  tour  together,  through  "the  Barrens  " 
toward  Ohio,  and  on  their  way  stopped  at  a  settlement  on  Red  River,  to  at- 
tend the  administering  of  the  sacrament  in  the  congregation  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
M'Gready,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman.  The  M' Ghees  and  others  preached 
on  this  occasion,  and  the  congregation  were  astonishingly,  affected.  Such 
was  the  movement  among  the  people,  evidently  under  the  impulses  of  the 
Divine  Spirit,  that  though  Messrs.  M'Gready,  Hoge  and  Rankin,  left  the 
house,  the  M'Ghees  continued  in  their  places.  William  M'Ghee  soon  felt 
such  a  power  come  over  him,  that  he,  not  seeming  to  know  what  he  did,  left 
his  seat  and  sat  down  on  the  floor,  while  John  sat  trembling  under  a  con- 
sciousness of  the  power  of  God.  In  the  meantime,  there  was  great  solemnity 
and  weeping  all  over  the  house.  He  was  expected  to  preach,  but  could  not 
from  excess  of  eirolion. 

The  good  effects  resulting  from  this  meeting,  thus  casually  convened,  in- 
duced the  M'Ghees  to  appoint  another  on  Muddy  River.  There  a  vast  con- 
course of  people  assembled  under  the  foliage  of  the  trees,  and  continued  their 
religious  exercises  day  and  night.  This  novel  way  of  worship  excited  great 
attention.  In  the  night  the  grove  was  illuminated  with  lighted  candles,  lamps 
or  torches.  This,  together  with  the  stillness  of  the  night,  the  solemnity 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  217 

which  rested  on  every  countenance,  the  pointed  and  earnest  manner  with 
which  the  preachers  exhorted  the  people  to  repentance,  prayer  and  faith,  pro- 
duced the  most  awful  sensations  in  the  minds  of  all  present,  and  it  resulted  in 
the  conversion  of  not  less  than  one  hundred  souls.  A  still  greater  meeting  of 
the  same  kind,  was  held  soon  after  on  Desha's  Creek,  near  the  Cumberland 
River,  at  which  many  thousands  attended.  At  these  gatherings,  the  people 
are  described  by  an  eye  witness,  as  falling  under  the  power  of  the  word,  "  like 
corn  before  a  storm  of  wind,"  and  that  many,  thus  affected,  "  arising  from  the 
dust  with  Divine  glory  beaming  upon  their  countenances,"  gave  utterance  to 
strains  of  extatic  gratitude.  In  the  meantime,  the  numbers  who  attended 
them  continually  increased,  drawn  together  by  various  motives — the  desire  of 
benefit,  the  gratification  of  curiosity,  and  some  to  arm  themselves  with  argu- 
ments of  resistance  to  their  progress ;  but  many  of  those  who  thus  "came  to 
mock,  remained  to  pray." 

In  1801,  the  numbers  who  attended  those  which  were  held  in  Kentucky, 
had  become  immense.  At  one  held  in  Cabin  Creek,  a  Presbyterian  minister 
who  was  present  and  took  an  active  part,  estimated  the  number  at  not  less 
than  twenty  thousand.  At  this  great  meeting,  the  Methodists  and  Presby- 
terians united  their  efforts,  seeming  to  bear  down  all  opposition.  The  scene 
is  represented  as  having  been  indescribably  awful. 

Few  if  any  escaped  without  being  affected.  Such  as  tried  to  run  from  it, 
were  frequently  struck  on  the  way,  or  impelled  by  some  alarming  signal  to  re- 
turn. No  circumstance  at  this  meeting  appeared  more  striking,  than  the  great 
numbers  that  fell*  on  the  third  night,  and  remained  unconscious  of  external 
objects  for  hours  together.  To  prevent  their  being  trodden  under  foot  by  the 
multitude,  they  were  collected  together  and  laid  out  in  order,  on  two  squares 
of  the  meeting-house,  until  a  considerable  part  of  the  floor  was  covered, 
where  they  remained  in  charge  of  their  friends,  until  they  should  .pass  through 
the  strange  phenomena  of  their  conversion.  But  the  great  meeting  at  Cane 
Ridge,  exceeded  all.  The  number  that  fell  at  this  meeting,  was  reckoned  at 
about  three  thousand,  among  whom  were  several  Presbyterian  ministers,  who, 
according  to  their  own  confession,  had  hitherto  possessed  only  a  speculative 
knowledge  of  religion.  There,  the  formal  professor,  and  the  deist,  and  the  in- 
temperate, met  with  one  common  lot,  and  confessed  with  equal  candor,  that 
they  were  destitute  of  the  true  knowledge  of  God,  and  strangers  to  the  reli- 
gion of  Jesus  Christ. 

In  consequence  of  such  a  vast  assemblage  of  people,  it  was  impossible  for 
one  person  to  address  them  ;  hence,  they  were  divided  into  several  groups, 
and  addressed  by  as  many  different  speakers,  while  the  whole  grove,  at  times, 
became  vocal  with  the  praises  of  God,  and  at  others,  pierced  with  the  cries 
of  distressed  penitents.  As  before  stated,  the  effect  was  peculiarly  striking  at 
night.  The  ranges  of  tents — the  fires  reflecting  lights  through  the  branches 
of  the  trees — the  candles  and  lamps,  illuminating  the  entire  encampment — 
hundreds  of  immortal  beings  moving  to  and  fro,  some  preaching — some  pray- 
ing for  mercy — others  praising  God — all  presented  a  scene,  indescribably 
solemn  and  affecting. 

These  meetings  soon  spread  through  all  the  settlements  in  the  West,  and 
such  was  the  eagerness  of  the  people  to  attend,  that  entire  neighborhoods 
were  forsaken,  and  the  roads  literally  crowded  by  those  pressing  forward  on 
their  way  to  the  groves.  As  the  Methodists  and  Presbyterians  usually  united 
in  these  gatherings,  they  took  the  name  of  "General  Camp  Meetings." 
The  prominent  clergymen  on  these  occasions,  were  the  M'Ghees, — the  Rev. 

*  See  page  189  ;  Article,  "Strange,  Mental  and  Physical  Phenomena." 


218  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

Messrs.  Gready,  Hoge  and  Rankin,  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  Wil. 
liam  M'Kendree,  William  Burke,  John  Sale,  Benjamin  Lakin  and  Henry 
Smith,  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

From  the  foregoing,  it  will  be  seen  that  camp-meetings  first  originated  in 
the  West.  They  were  not  the  result  of  a  previously  digested  plan, — nor  did 
they  commence  with  the  Methodists,  but  upon  a  Sacramental  occasion  among 
the  Presbyterians,  where  there  was  such  an  exhibition  of  the  Divine  Spirit, 
that  the  meeting  was  protracted  to  an  unusual  length,  which,  being  noised 
abroad,  brought  others  to  the  place,  and  finally,  in  such  numbers  that  no 
house  could  hold  them.  This  induced  them  to  go  into  the  field,  erect  tem- 
porary shelters,  and  bring  provision  for  their  sustenance;  and  finding  that 
God  so  abundantly  blessed  them,  they  were  continued  until  they  became  gen- 
eral among  the  Methodists  throughout  the  Union." 


LEWIS  AND  CLAKK'S,  AND  PIKE'S  EXPLORING  EXPEDITIONS. 

Expedition  of  Lewis  and  Clark. — Just  before  the  transfer  of  Louisiana 
to  the  United  States,  in  1803,  President  Jefferson  was  preparing  to  have  ex- 
plored what  now  comprises  the  north-western  part  of  our  country,  of  which 
then  but  little  was  known.  In  January,  1803,  Congress  having  approved  of 
his  suggestions,  he  commissioned  Captains  Meriwether  Lewis  and  William 
Clark,  to  explore  the  Missouri  and  its  principal  branches  to  their  sources, 
and  then  to  seek  and  trace  to  its  termination  in  the  Pacific,  some  stream  which 
might  give  the  most  direct  and  practicable  water  communication  across  the 
continent,  for  the  purposes  of  commerce.  Other  persons  were,  at  the  same 
time,  appointed  to  examine  the  Upper  Mississippi  and  its  principal  western 
tributaries  below  the  Missouri ;  exact  information  being  desired  as  soon  as 
possible  of  the  newly  acquired  territories  from  France,  that  power  ^ving 
previously  possessed  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi,  under  the  general 
name  of  Louisiana. 

Shortly  after  Lewis  had  received  his  instructions,  the  news  of  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  treaty  for  the  cession  of  Louisiana,  reached  the  United  States. 
In  May,  1804,  the  party  of  Lewis  and  Clark  commenced  the  ascent  of  the 
Missouri  in  boats.  Their  ascent  being  slow,  they  did  not  arrive  at  the  coun- 
try of  the  Mandan  Indians,  sixteen  hundred  miles  from  the  Mississippi,  near 
lat.  48  deg.,  until  the  latter  part  of  October. 

Remaining  in  their  encampment  in  the  Mandan  country,  until  the  7th  of 
April,  following,  Lewis  and  Clark,  with  thirty  men,  commenced  their  voy- 
age westward  up  the  Missouri,  and  about  the  1st  of  May,  reached  the  mouth 
or  the  principal  branch,  called  by  the  French  traders,  the  Roche  Jaune,  or 
Yellow  Stone  River.  Thence  continuing  their  progress  westward  on  the 
main  stream,  their  navigation  was  arrested,  on  the  13th  of  June,  by  the  Great 
Falls  of  the  Missouri,  a  series  of  cataracts  extending  about  ten  miles  in 
length,  in  the  principal  of  which,  the  whole  river  rushes  over  a  precipice  of 
rock,  eighty-seven  feet  in  height.  Again  embarking  in  canoes,  they,  on  the 
19th  of  July,  passed  through  the  Gates  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  the 
Missouri,  emerging  from  that  chain,  runs  for  six  miles  in  a  narrow  channel 
between  perpendicular,  black  rocky  walls  of  twelve  hundred  feet  in  height. 
Beyond  tnis,  they  ascended  its  largest  source,  named  by  Lewis,  Jefferson 
River,  near  lat.  44  deg.,  where  the  navigation  of  the  Missouri  ends  near  three 
thousand  miles  from  its  entrance  into  the  Mississippi.  While  the  canoes 
were  ascending  Jefferson  River,  Lewis  and  Clarke,  with  some  of  their  men, 
proceeded  through  the  mountains,  and  soon  found  streams  flowing  to  trie 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  221 

west,  and  meeting  several  parties  of  Indians  belonging  to  a  nation  called 
Shoshonee,*  they  were  satisfied  from  their  accounts,  that  those  streams  were 
the  head  waters  of  the  Columbia.  They  then  rejoined  their  men  at  the  head 
of  Jefferson,  and  having  cached  (concealed  in  pits)  their  canoes  and  goods, 
and  procured  some  Shoshonees  for  guides,  and  some  horses,  the  whole  party 
pursued  their  journey  overland,  and  on  the  30th  of  August,  entered  the  Rocky 
Mountains. 

Up  to  this  time,  their  difficulties  and  privations  were  comparatively  small ; 
but  during  the  three  weeks  they  were  passing  through  the  mountains,  they 
underwent  every  suffering  which  hunger,  cold  and  fatigue,  could  impose. 
The  mountains  were  high,  and  the  passes  through  them  rugged,  and  in  many 
places  covered  with  snow ;  and  their  food  consisted  of  berries,  dried  fish,  and 
the  meat  of  dogs  or  horses,  of  all  which,  the  supplies  were  scanty  and  pre- 
carious. 

About  four  hundred  miles  by  their  route  from  Jefferson  River,  they  reached 
the  Kooskooske,  and  on  the  7th  of  October,  began  its  descent  in  canoes 
which  they  constructed.  In  three  days  they  entered  the  principal  southern 
branch  of  the  Columbia,  which  they  named  Lewis,  and  in  seven  more, 
reached  its  junction  with  its  larger  northern  branch,  which  was  called  by  them 
Clark.  They  were  then  fairly  launched  on  the  Great  River  of  the  West, 
and  passing  down  it  through  many  dangerous  rapids,  they,  on  the  31st,  ar- 
rived at  the  Falls  of  the  Columbia,  where  it  rushes  through  the  lofty  chain 
of  mountains  nearest  the  Pacific.  On  the  15th  of  November,  they  landed  on 
Cape  Disappointment,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  after  having  passed 
over  about  six  hundred  miles  on  its  waters,  and  reaching  a  point  of  more 
than  four  thousand  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri. 

The  winter,  or  rather  rainy  season,  soon  setting  in,  they  built  a  dwelling 
in  that  vicinity,  which  they  named  Fort  Clatsop,  where  they  remained  until 
March  23d,  1806.  Then  they  commenced  their  return,  by  ascending  the 
Columbia  in  their  canoes.  Proceeding  carefully  up  the  stream,  they  discov- 
ered the  Cowelitz  and  the  Willamet,  the  latter  now  noted  for  having  on  its 
banks  the  most  flourishing  settlements  in  Oregon. 

At  the  Falls  of  the  Columbia,  they  abandoned  their  canoes,  and  proceeded 

*  A  few  years  since,  there  was  residing  at  Brown's  Hole,  in  Oregon,  an  old  Shoshonee  Indian, 
who  was  the  first  of  his  tribe  who  saw  the  cavalcade  of  Messrs.  Lewis  and  Clarke,  on  the  head  waters 
of  the  Missouri,  in  1805.  He  appears  to  have  been  galloping  from  place  to  place,  in  the  office  of 
sentinel  to  the  Shoshonee  camp,  when  he  suddenly  found  himself  in  the  very  presence  of  the  whites. 
Astonishment  fixed  him  to  the  spot.  Men  with  faces  as  pale  as  ashes,  had  never  been  seen  by  him 
or  his  nation.  "  The  head  rose  high  and  round,  the  top  flat ;  it  jutted  over  the  eyes  in  a  thin  rim  ; 
their  skin  was  loose  and  flowing,  and  of  many  colors."  His  fears,  at  length  overcoming  his  curi- 
osity, he  fled  in  the  direction  of  the  Indian  encampment.  But  being  seen  by  the  whites,  they  pur- 
sued and  brought  him  to  their  camp  ;  exhibited  to  him  the  effect  of  their  fire-arms,  loaded  him  with 
presents,  and  let  him  go.  Having  arrived  among  his  own  people,  he  told  them  he  had  seen  men  with 
faces  pale  as  ashes,  who  were  makers  of  thunder  and  lightning,  &c.  This  information  astounded  the 
whole  tribe.  They  had  lived  many  years,  their  ancestors  had  lived  many  more,  and  there  were  many 
legends  which  spoke  of  many  wonderful  things  ;  but  a  tale  like  this,  they  had  never  before  heard. 
A  council  was,  therefore,  held  to  consider  the  matter.  The  man  of  strange  words,  was  summoned 
before  it  ;  and  he  rehearsed  in  substance,  what  he  had  before  told  to  others,  but  was  not  believed. 
"  All  men  were  red,  and  therefore,  he  could  not  have  seen  men  as  pale  as  ashes.  The  Great  Spirit 
made  the  thunder  and  lightning  ;  he  therefore,  could  not  have  seen  any  men,  of  any  color,  that 
could  produce  it.  He  had  seen  nothing  ;  had  lied  to  his  chief,  and  should  die."  Upon  this,  the 
culprit  produced  some  presents  which  he  had  received  from  the  pale  men.  These  being  quite  as 
new  to  them,  as  pale  faces  were,  it  was  determined  "  that  he  should  have  the  privilege  of  leading  his 
judges  to  the  place  where  he  had  declared  he  had  seen  these  strange  people  ;  and  if  such  were  found 
there,  he  should  be  exculpated  ;  if  not,  these  presents  were  to  be  considered  as  conclusive  evidence, 
that  he  dealt  with  evil  spirits,  and  that  he  was  worthy  of  death  by  the  arrows  of  his  kinsfolks." 
The  pale  men — the  thunder  makers,  were  found,  and  were  witnesses  of  the  poor  fellow's  story. 
He  was  released,  and  has  ever  since  been  much  honored  and  loved  by  his  tribe,  and  every  white 
man  in  the  mountains.  He  is  now  about  eighty  years  old,  and  poor.  But  as  he  is  always  about 
Fort  David  Crockett,  is  never  permitted  to  want. 


222  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

on  horses  to  their  point  of  embarkation  on  the  Kooskooske,  in  the  preceding 
year;  thence  due  eastward,  through  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Clark  River, 
which  flows  for  some  distance,  in  a  .northerly  direction  from  its  sources,  be- 
fore turning  southward  to  join  the  other  branches  of  the  Columbia.  There, 
on  the  3d  of  July,  in  lat.  47  deg.,  Lewis  and  Clark  separated,  to  meet  at  the 
mouth  of  Yellow  Stone. 

Lewis,  with  his  party,  proceeded  northward,  some  distance  down  the 
Clark,  and  then  quitting  it,  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  head  waters 
of  the  Maria,  which  empties  into  the  Missouri  just  below  the  Falls.  There 
they  met  a  band  of  Indians  belonging  to  the  numerous  and  daring  race,  called 
the  Blackfoot,  who  infest  the  plains  at  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and  are 
ever  at  war  with  all  other  tribes.  These  savages  attempted  to  seize  the  rifles 
of  the  Americans,  and  Lewis  was  obliged  to  kill  one  of  them  before  they  de- 
sisted. The  party  then  hastened  to  the  Falls  of  the  Missouri,  and  thence 
floated  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow  Stone,  which  is  scarcely  inferior 
in  length,  to  the  main  branch  of  the  Missouri. 

Meanwhile,  the  party  under  Clark,  rode  southward  up  the  Clark  to  its 
sources ;  and  after  exploring  several  passes  in  the  mountains,  between  that 
and  the  head  waters  of  the  Yellow  Stone,  they  embarked  on  it  in  canoes,  and 
descending,  joined  Lewis  and  his  men  at  its -mouth,  on  the  12th  of  August. 
From  thence,  the  whole  body  floated  down  the  Missouri,  and  on  the  23d  of 
September,  1806,  arrived  in  safety  at  St.  Louis,  after  an  absence  of  more  than 
two  years,  during  which,  they  had  traveled  over  nine  thousand  miles. 

The  Missouri  had  been  ascended  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yellow  Stone,  by 
the  French  and  Spanish  Indian  traders,  long  before  this  expedition ;  but  no 
correct  information  had  been  obtained  of  the  river  and  country.  With  regard 
to  the  country  between  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri,  and  those  of  the 
Columbia,  we  have  no  accounts  earlier  than  those  furnished  by  this  exploring 
expedition.  Their  journal  is  still  the  principal  source  of  information,  re- 
specting the  geography,  natural  history,  and  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of 
tnat  region. 

Politically,  the  expedition  was  an  announcement  to  the  world  of  the  inten- 
tions of  the  American  government  to  occupy  and  settle  the  countries  explored, 
and  they  thus  virtually  incurred  the  obligation  to  prosecute  and  fulfill,  the 
great  ends  for  which  the  labors  of  Lewis  and  Clark  were  preparatory. 

Pike's  Expedition. — During  the  absence  of  Lewis  and  Clark,  the  United 
States  prosecuted  other  explorations  in  different  parts  of  Louisiana.  Lieut. 
Z.  M.  Pike, — afterward  the  celebrated  Gen.  Pike,  who  fell  at  York,  Upper 
Canada,  in  1813 — was  sent  in  1805,  to  explore  the  sources  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. Having  set  out  late  in  the  season,  he  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Crow  Wing,  where,  winter  having  overtaken  him,  he  erected  a  block-house 
for  the  protection  of  his  men  and  stores,  and  proceeded  in  snow-shoes,  with 
a  small  party,  to  Leech  Lake  and  other  places  in  that  vicinity,  and  returned 
on  the  opening  of 
the 
the 
was  founded  in  1819. 

In  the  year  1806,  he  was  sent  on  another  exploring  expedition,  by  the 
United  States  Government,  with  a  party  of  men,  in  the  course  of  which,  he 
traveled  south  west  ward  from  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  up  the  Arkansas,  with 
directions  to  pass  to  the  sources  of  that  stream,  for  which  those  of  the  Cana- 
dian were  then  mistaken.  He,  however,  even  passed  around  the  head  of  the 
latter ;  and  crossing  the  mountain  with  an  almost  incredible  degree  of  peril 
and  suffering,  descended  upon  the  Rio  del  Norte  with  his  little  party,  then  but 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  223 

fifteen  in  number.  Believing  himself  now  upon  Red  River,  within  the  then 
assumed  bounds  of  the  United  States,  he  erected  a  small  fortification  for  his 
company  until  the  opening  of  the  spring  of  1807  should  enable  him  to  con- 
tinue his  descent  to  Natchitoches. 

As  he  was  within  the  Mexican  territory,  however,  and  but  about  seventy 
miles  from  the  northern  settlements,  his  position  was  soon  discovered,  and  a 
force  sent  out  to  take  him  into  Santa  Fe,  which,  by  a  treacherous  manuever, 
was  effected  without  opposition.  The  Spanish  officer  assured  him  that  the 
governor,  learning  that  he  had  missed  his  way,  had  sent  animals  and  an  es- 
cort to  convey  his  men  and  baggage  to  a  navigable  point  on  Red  River  (Rio 
Colorado),  and  that  his  excellency  desired  very  much  to  see  him  at  Santa  Fe, 
which  might  be  taken  on  their  way.  As  soon,  however,  as  the  governor  had 
him  in  his  power,  he  sent  him  with  his  men  to  the  Commandant-General  at 
Chihuahua,  when  most  of  his  papers  were  seized  and  he  and  his  party  were 
sent  under  an  escort,  via  San  Antonio  de  Bexar,  to  the  United  States. 

The  Red  and  Washita  rivers  were  at  the  same  time  explored  to  a  con- 
siderable distance  from  the  Mississippi,  by  Messrs.  Dunbar,  Hunter,  and 
Sibley,  whose  journals,  as  well  as  those  of  Pike,  Lewis,  and  Clark,  were 
subsequently  published,  and  contain  many  interesting  descriptions  of  those 
parts  of  America. 

Thus  within  three  or  four  years  after  Louisiana  came  into  the  possession  of 
the  United  States,  it  ceased  to  be  an  unknown  region,  and  the  principal  features 
of  the  country  drained  by  the  Columbia  were  displayed. 


-      ADVENTURE  OF  COLTER. 

ON  the  arrival  of  the  exploratory  party  of  Lewis  and  Clark  at  the  head 
waters  of  the  Missouri,  Colter,  one  of  the  guides,  obtained  permission  for 
himself  and  another  hunter,  by  the  name  of  Potts,  to  remain  awhile  and  hunt 
for  beaver.  Aware  of  the  hostility  of  the  Blackfoot  Indians,  one  of  whom 
had  been  killed  by  Lewis,  they  set  their  traps  at  night  and  took  them  up 
early  in  the  morning,  remaining  concealed  during  the  day. 

They  were  examining  their  traps  early  one  morning,  in  a  creek  which  they 
were  ascending  in  a  canoe,  when  they  suddenly  heard  a  great  noise,  resem- 
bling the  trampling  of  animals;  but  they  could  not  ascertain  the  fact,  as  the 
high  perpendicular  banks  on  each  side  of  the  river  impeded  their  view. 
Colter  immediately  pronounced  it  to  be  occasioned  by  Indians,  and  advised 
an  instant  retreat,  bat  was  accused  of  cowardice  by  Potts,  who  insisted  the 
noise  was  occasioned  by  buffaloes,  and  they  proceeded  on.  In  a  few  minutes 
afterward,  their  doubts  were  removed  by  the  appearance  of  about  five  or  six 
hundred  Indians  on  both  sides  of  the  creek,  who  beckoned  them  to  come 
ashore.  As  retreat  was  now  impossible,  Colter  turned  the  head  of  the  canoe 
to  the  shore,  and  at  the  moment  of  its  touching,  an  Indian  seized  the  rifle 
belonging  to  Potts;  but  Colter,  who  was  a  remarkably  strong  man,  imme 
diately  retook  it,  and  handed  it  to  Potts,  who  remained  in  the  canoe,  and  on 
receiving  it  pushed  off  into  the  river.  He  had  scarcely  quitted  the  shore 
when  an  arrow  was  shot  at  him.  and  he  cried  out,  "  Colter,  I  am  wounded." 
Colter  remonstrated  with  him  on  the  folly  of  attempting  to  escape,  and  urged 
him  to  come  ashore.  Instead  of  complying,  he  instantly  leveled  his  rifle  at 
an  Indian  and  shot  him  dead  on  the  spot.  This  conduct,  situated  as  he  was, 
may  appear  to  have  been  an  act  of  madness,  but  it  was  doubtless  the  effect 
of  sudden,  but  sound  enough  reasoning;  for  if  taken  alive,  he  must  have 
expected  to  have  been  tortured  to  death,  according  to  the  Indian  custom,  and 
28 


224  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

in  this  respect,  the  Indians  in  this  region  excelled  all  others  in  the  ingenuity 
they  displayed  in  torturing  their  prisoners.*  He  was  instantly  pierced  with 
arrows  so  numerous,  that,  to  use  the  language  of  Colter,  "he  was  made  a 
riddle  of." 

They  now  seized  Colter,  stripped  him  entirely  naked,  and  began  to  con- 
sult on  the  manner  in  which  he  should  be  put  to  death.  They  were  first 
inclined  to  set  him  up  as  a  mark  to  shoot  at,  but- the  chief  interfered,  and 
seizing  him  by  the  shoulder,  asked  him  if  he  could  run  fast?  Colter,  who  had 
been  some  time  among  the  Kee  Katsa,  or  Crow  Indians,  had  in  a  consider- 
able degree  acquired  the  Blackfoot  language,  and  was  also  well  acquainted 
with  Indian  customs.  He  knew  that  he  had  now  to  run  for  his  life,  with  the 
dreadful  odds  of  five  or  six  hundred  against  him,  and  these  armed  Indians; 
he  therefore  cunningly  replied  that  he  was  a  very  bad  runner,  although  in 
truth  he  was  considered  by  the  hunters  as  remarkably  swift. 

The  chief  now  commanded  the  party  to  remain  stationary,  and  led  Colter 
out  on  the  prairie  three  or  four  hundred  yards  and  released  him,  bidding 
him  to  save  himself  if  he  could.  At  that  instant  the  war-whoop  sounded  in 
the  ears  of  poor  Colter,  who,  urged  with  the  hope  of  preserving  life,  ran  with 
a  speed  at  which  he  himself  was  surprised.  He  proceeded  toward  Jefferson's 
Fork,  having  to  traverse  a  plain  six  miles  in  breadth,  abounding  with  the 
prickly  pear,  on  which  he  every  instant  was  treading  with  his  naked  feet. 
He  ran  nearly  half-way  across  the  plain  before  he  ventured  to  look  over  his 
shoulder,  when  he  perceived  that  the  Indians  were  very  much  scattered,  and 
that  he  had  gained  ground  to  a  considerable  distance  from  tne  main  body; 
but  one  Indian,  who  carried  a  spear,  was  much  before  all  the  rest,  and  not  more 
than  a  hundred  yards  from  him. 

A  faint  gleam  of  hope  now  cheered  the  heart  of  Colter;  he  derived  con- 
fidence from  the  belief  that  escape  was  within  the  bounds  of  possibility,  but 
that  confidence  was  nearly  fatal  to  him ;  for  he  exerted  himself  to  such  a 
degree  that  the  blood  gushed  from  his  nostrils,  and  soon  almost  covered  the 
forepart  of  his  body.  He  had  now  arrived  within  a  mile  of  the  river,  when 
he  distinctly  heard  the  appalling  sounds  of  footsteps  behind  him,  and  every 
instant  expected  to  feel  the  spear  of  his  pursuer.  Again  he  turned  his  head 

*  The  Flathead  Indians,  who  reside  in  Oregon,  and  the  Blackfoot  tribe,  who  hunt  at  the  eastern 
base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  are  almost  continually  at  war  with  each  other.  An  English  traveler 
who  remained  a  considerable  time  among  the  former,  lias  given  a  description  of  the  method  of 
torturing  their  prisoners.  A  chief  of  the  Blackfoot  tribe  having  been  taken  captive  in  one  of  their 
wars,  was  condemned  to  death  ;  and  the  Englishman  repaired  to  camp  to  witness  the  frightful 
•pectacle.  The  prisoner  was  fastened  to  a  tree.  The  Flatheads,  after  heating  an  old  gun-barrel  red- 
hot,  burnt  with  it  successively,  his  legs,  thighs,  stomach,  cheeks,  and  belly;  and  then  cut  the  flesh 
around  his  nails,  which  they  tore  out;  and  afterward  cut  off  his  fingers  joint  by  joint. 

During  this  horrible  torment  the  prisoner  did  not  shrink  in  the  least,  nor  testify  the  slightest 
emotion.  Instead  of  crying  for  mercy  and  uttering  groans,  he  endeavored  to  excite  the  barbarous 
ingenuity  of  his  executioners  by  taunts  and  the  most  insulting  reproaches.  One  of  the  Flatheads 
rushed  upon  him,  and  in  un  instant  with  his  knife  scooped  out  one  of  his  eyes  and  clove  his  nose 
in  two.  But  the  poor  fellow  did  not  desist  from  his  provocations: — "  I  killed  your  brother,"  he 
•ried.  "  I  tore  off  the  gray  scalp  of  your  father."  The  warrior  to  whom  he  spoke,  again  rushed 
upon  him  and  tore  off  his  scalp,  aud  was  about  to  plunge  a  knife  into  his  heart,  when  the  voice  of 
his  chief  forbade  him. 

With  his  naked  skull,  his  cloven  nose,  and  the  blood  streaming  from  the  socket  of  his  eye,  the 
intrepid  Blackfoot  offered  a  hideous  gpectacle;  notwithstanding  which,  in  this  terrible  condition, 
he  continued  to  heap  reproaches  aud  outrageous  insults  upon  his  foes.  "  It  was  I,"  said  he  to  the 
clii-t',  "  who  took  your  wife  prisoner!  We  tore  out  her  eyes  and  tongue!  We  treated  her  like  a 
dog!  Forty  of  our  young  warriors,"— —He  had  not  time  to  finish  what  he  was  going  to  say;  for 
at  the  mention  of  his  wife,  the  fury  of  the  chief  broke  through  all  bounds,  and  seizing  his  rifle  he 
put  an  cud  at  once  to  the  insults  which  he,  the  prisoner,  uttered,  and  the  sufferings  h«  endured. 

These  cruelties  were  even  surpassed  by  those  that  were  exercised  on  the  female  prisoners;  and 
It  must  be  owned,  that  the  Flathead  women  showed  a  more  fiendish  barbarity  than  the  men.  The 
details  of  the  tortures  which  they  inflicted  are  too  horrible  to  be  described,  save  with  a  pen  dipped 
in  blood. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  225 

and  saw  the  savage  not  twenty  yards  from  him.  Determined,  if  possible,  to 
avoid  the  expected  blow,  he  suddenly  stopped,  turned  around  and  spread  out 
his  arms.  The  Indian,  surprised  at  the  suddenness  of  the  action,  and  perhaps 
at  the  bloody  appearance  of  Colter,  also  attempted  to  stop;  but  exhausted 
with  running,  he  fell  while  attempting  to  throw  his  spear,  which  stuck  in 
the  ground  and  broke  in  his  hand.  Colter  instantly  snatched  up  the  pointed 
part,  with  which  he  pinned  him  to  the  earth,  and  then  continued  his  night. 

The  foremost  of  the  Indians,  on  arriving  at  the  place,  stopped  until  others 
came  up  to  join  them  and  then  gave  a  hideous  yell.  Every  moment  of  this 
time  was  improved  by  Colter,  who  although  fainting  and  exhausted  succeeded 
in  gaining  the  skirting  of  the  cotton-wood  trees  on  the  borders  of  the  Fork, 
to  which  he  ran  and  plunged  into  the  river.  Fortunately  for  him,  a  little 
below  this  place  was  an  island,  against  the  upper  point  of  which,  a  raft  of 
drift  timber  had  lodged;  he  dived  under  the  raft,  and  after  several  efforts  got 
his  head  above  water,  among  the  trunks  of  trees  covered  over  with  smaller 
wood  to  the  depth  of  several  feet.  Scarcely  had  he  secured  himself  when 
the  Indians  arrived  on  the  river,  screeching  and  yelling,  as  Colter  expressed 
it,  "like  so  many  devils." 

They  were  frequently  on  the  raft  during  the  day,  and  were  seen  through 
the  chinks  by  Colter,  who  was  congratulating  himself  on  his  escape,  until  the 
idea  arose  that  they  might  set  the  raft  on  fire.  In  horrible  suspense  he 
remained  until  night,  when  hearing  no  more  from  the  Indians,  he  dived  from 
under  the  raft  and  swam  instantly  down  the  river  to  a  considerable  distance, 
when  he  landed  and  traveled  all  night.  Although  happy  in  having  escaped 
from  the  Indians  his  situation  was  still  dreadful ;  he  was  completely  naked, 
under  a  burning  sun;  the  soles  of  his  feet  were  filled  with  the  thorns  of  the 
prickly  pear;  he  was  hungry  and  had  no  means  of  killing_game,  although  he 
saw  abundance  around  him  and  was  at  a  great  distance  from  tlte  nearest 
settlement.  Almost  any  man  but  an  American  hunter  would  have  despaired 
under  such  circumstances.  The  fortitude  of  Colter  remained  unshaken. 
After  seven  days'  sore  travel,  during  which  he  had  no  other  sustenance  than 
the  root,  known  by  naturalists  under  the  name  of  psoralea  esculenta,  he  at 
length  arrived  in  safety  at  Lisa's  Fort,  on  the  Big  Horn  branch  of  the  Roche 
Jaune  or  Yellow  Stone  River. 


BURR'S  CONSPIRACY. 

IN  1805,  Aaron  Burr  first  made  his  appearance  in  the  West.  With  a  con- 
science racked  with  remorse  for  the  murder  of  Hamilton  in  a  duel,  and  politi- 
cally disgraced  by  his  quarrel  with  President  Jefferson,  he  sought  the  West 
to  bury  his  anguish  and  disgrace  in  active  schemes  of  unhallowed  ambition. 
At  this  time,  the  affairs  of  the  United  States  with  Spain,  were  in  an  embar- 
rassing state.  In  the  spring  of  1806,  their  forces  advanced  to  the  Sabine,  and 
Gen.  Wilkinson,  commander  of  the  United  States  troops  in  Louisiana,  had 
orders  to  repel  them  if  they  should  cross  the  river.  At  this  time,  Burr  again 
appeared  in  the  West,  passing  most  of  his  time  at  Blannerhasset's  Island,  but 
being  seen  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  His  plans  appear  to  have  been 

,  i  /••     t    i  1  A  1 

threefold : — 

First. — To  ascertain  the  sentiments  of  the  people  of  the  West  upon  the 
subject  of  a  separation  from  the  Atlantic  States,  and,  if  favorable,  to  have  at- 
tempted to  erect  a  separate  republic  in  the  West,  of  which,  he  was  to  be  the 
head,  and  New  Orleans  the  capital. 
i.    Secondly. — To  raise  a  force  and  make  arrangements  for  a  private  expedi- 


226  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

tion  against  Mexico  and  the   Spanish  provinces,  in  the  event  of  a  war  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Spain,  which,  at  that  time,  seemed  inevitable. 

Thirdly.— In  the  event  of  the  failure  of  both  of  these  measures,  to  pur- 
chase a  tract  of  land  of  Baron  Bastrop,  lying  on  the  Washita  River,  in 
Louisiana,  upon  which  he  contemplated  the  establishment  of  a  colony  of 
wealthy  and  intelligent  individuals,  where  he  might  rear  around  him  a  society 
remarkable  for  its  elegance  and  refinement. 

The  unsettled  relations  with  Spain,  presented  a  specious  cloak  to  his  enter- 
prise in  that  quarter,  and  enabled  him  to  give  to  each  person  addressed,  such 
representations  of  his  plans  as  best  suited  their  character.  To  the  daring 
youth  of  the  West,  desirous  of  military  adventure,  he  could  represent  it  as  an 
expedition  against  a  nation  with  whom  the  United  States  would  shortly  be  at 
war, — that  government  would  connive  at  it,  but  could  not  openly  countenance 
it  until  hostilities  actually  commenced.  There  is  but  little  doubt,  but  that 
many  concurred  in  the  enterprise  without  being  aware  of  its  treasonable  char- 
acter, while  to  others,  all  his  schemes  were  exposed  in  their  full  deformity. 

In  the  prosecution  of  his  object,  he  applied  himself  with  all  his  great 
powers  of  address,  to  any  one  who  would  be  useful  to  him  in  his  schemes. 
Among  a  large  number  of  persons  whom  he  enlisted,  was  Herman  Blanner- 
hasset,  an  Irish  gentleman  of  wealth,  residing  on  a  beautiful  island  on  the 
Ohio,  twelve  miles  below  Marietta.  He  molded  him  to  his  purpose,  and 
obtained  a  complete  command  of  his  ample  fortune. 

The  scheme  of  separation  from  the  Atlantic  States,  had  been  too  much  agi- 
tated in  Kentucky,  not  to  have  left  some  materials  for  Burr  to  rally  upon, 
and  he  neglected  no  opportunity  to  work  upon  the  fragments  of  the  old  party. 
Not  only  in  that  State,  but  in  every  State  and  Territory  in  the  West,  from 
western  Pennsylvania  down  to  Louisiana,  he  gained  a  large  number  of  ad- 
herents t*  the  cause,  among  wriom  were  some  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
country. 

During  the  summer  of  1806,  the  public  mind  in  the  West  became  agitated 
by  rumors  of  secret  expeditions  and  conspiracies,  in  which  Burr  and  others 
were  implicated,  but  all  were  wrapped  in  mystery  and  doubt.  In  the  follow 
ing  November,  Burr  was  seized  at  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  arraigned  be- 
fore the  United  States  Court,  to  answer  to  a  charge  of  a  high  misdemeanor, 
in  organizing  a  military  expedition  against  a  power  with  whom  the  United 
States  were  at  peace.  He  was  defended  by  the  Hon.  Henry  Clay,  on  his 
first  assuring  aim  upon  his  honor ',  that  he  was  engaged  in  no  design  contrary 
to  the  laws  and  peace  of  the  country.  The  arrest  was  premature,  and  owing 
to  the  absence  of  important  witnesses,  he  was  acquitted.  Yet,  at  that  very 
time,  an  armed  force  in  his  service,  occupied  Blannerhasset's  Island,  and  a 
large  number  of  boats  had  been  built  on  the  Muskingum,  and  were  then  at 
Marietta,  laden  with  provisions  and  military  stores. 

All  danger  of  collision  with  Spain,  had,  ere  this,  been  removed ;  but 
Burr,  notwithstanding,  adhered  to  his  original  design.  President  Jefferson, 
who  had  been  kept  fully  advised  by  Gen.  Wilkinson  of  Burr's  movements, 
on  the  25th  of  November,  issued  a  proclamation  denouncing  the  enterprise, 
and  warning  the  West  against  it.  This  proclamation  reached  Ohio  about 
the  1st  of  December,  and  soon  after,  by  the  orders  of  the  governor  of  that 
State,  the  boats  of  Burr  on  the  Muskingum,  were  seized.  At  the  same  time, 
the  Virginia  militia,  of  Wood  County,  lying  opposite  Blannerhasset's  Island, 
took  possession  of  the  mansion  of  Blannerhasset.  The  owner,  however,  suc- 
ceeded in  effecting  his  escape  down  the  Ohio,  in  one  of  his  boats.  Burr,  in 
the  meanwhile,  had  gone  to  Nashville ;  but  before  the  proclamation  had 
reached  Tennessee  had  descended  the  Cumberland,  with  two  boats  laden  with 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  227 

provisions  and  a  few  adherents.  At  the  mouth  of  that  river,  his  forces  con- 
gregated,  and  from  thence,  they  proceeded  down  the  Mississippi,  in  a  flotilla 
of  eleven  boats. 

His  adherents  at  this  time,  had  dwindled  to  but  a  comparatively  small 
number.  A  part  of  his  original  confederates  had  been  engaged  simply  as 
settlers  of  Bastrop's  lands,  but  the  greater  number  were  engaged  under  the 
express  assurance,  that  the  projected  enterprise  was  against  Mexico,  and 
secretly  authorized  by  government.  Many  expressly  enlisted  in  the  name 
of  the  United  States.  The  proclamation,  as  it  reached  the  different  parts  of 
the  West,  undeceived  both  of  these  classes,  and,  of  course,  drew  them  off 
from  any  participation  in  the  enterprise. 

The  West  had  now  become  thoroughly  aroused  to  the  true  nature  of  the 
conspiracy.  The  authorities  of  the  different  States  and  Territories  on  the 
Ohio  and  the  Mississippi,  had  ordered  out  the  militia  for  the  apprehension 
of  the  parties ;  and  from  Pittsburgh  to  the  Gulf,  the  most  rigid  measures  had 
been  adopted,  to  give  an  effectual  check  to  the  further  progress  of  the  expe- 
dition. 

Gen.  Wilkinson,  who  commanded  the  United  States  forces  in  the  West, 
had  been  Burr's  confident  in  his  schemes.  Burr  and  his  principal  confed- 
erates, carried  on  a  continual  correspondence  with  that  officer  in  cypher,  dur- 
ing the  formation  and  execution  of  his  plans.  What  Wilkinson's  original 
intentions  were,  is  a  matter  of  conjecture ;  but  it  is  certain  that  he  acted 
treacherous  toward  Burr,  as  during  this  time,  he  informed  Jefferson  of  all  the 
movements  of  the  conspirators,  and  became,  at  length,  the  most  active  person 
in  arresting  those  who  were  supposed  to  have  been  connected  with  it.  It  is 
probable,  that  he  first  favored  Burr  from  ambitious  motives,  determining  to  be 
governed  by  circumstances  in  his  ulterior  movements.  If  war  should  occur 
with  Spain,  then,  as  a  military  man,  there  would  be  an  opportunity,  in  con- 
nection with  Burr,  to  win  distinction  in  a  campaign  against  Mexico  ;  but  if 
not,  there  was  a  chance  of  his  gaining  eclat  by  exposing  a  conspiracy  dan- 
gerous to  the  welfare  of  his  country. 

Confident  of  the  aid  of  Wilkinson,  and  of  the  forces  under  his  command, 
Burr  continued  his  exertions,  notwithstanding  all  prospects  of  a  war  with 
Spain  had  ceased,  and  in  spite  of  the  proclamation  of  the  President,  and  the 
efforts  of  the  Governors  of  the  various  States  and  Territories  of  the  West,  to 
deter  him. 

In  January  (1807),  the  flotilla  of  Burr  had  arrived  at  Bayou  Pierre,  on 
the  Lower  Mississippi.  He  was  there  seized  by  the  order  of  Cowles  Mead, 
the  acting  Governor  of  Mississippi,  and  conducted  to  the  town  of  Washing- 
ton. Burr,  shortly  after,  managed  to  escape  from  custody,  and  a  reward  of 
two  thousand  dollars  was  offered  for  his  apprehension.  In  the  meantime, 
several  arrests  of  the  supposed  accomplices  of  Burr,  were  made  at  Fort 
Adams  and  New  Orleans.  Among  these,  were  Bollman  (the  celebrated  de- 
liverer of  Lafayette),  Ogden,  Swartwout,  Dayton,  Smith,  Alexander  and 
Gen.  Adair,  against  whom  the  most  rigid  and  unjustifiable  authority  was  ex- 
ercised by  Gen.  Wilkinson,  in  many  cases  upon  bare  suspicion. 

Late  at  night,  about  the  1st  of  February,  a  man  in  the  garb  of  a  boatman, 
with  a  single  companion,  arrived  at  the  door  of  a  small  log  tavern,  in  the 
backwoods  of  Alabama,  and  inquired  the  way  to  a  Col.  Hinson's,  who  re- 
sided in  the  neighborhood.  Col.  Nicholas  Perkins  observed  by  the  light  of 
the  fire,  that  the  stranger,  although  coarsely  dressed,  possessed  a  countenance 
of  unusual  intelligence,  and  an  eye  of  sparkling  brilliancy.  The  tidy  boot, 
which  his  vanity  could  not  surrender  with  his  other  articles  of  finer  clothing, 
attracted  Perkin's  attention,  and  led  him  truly  to  conclude,  that  the  mysteri- 


228  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

ous  stranger  was  none  other  than  the  famous  Col.  Burr,  described  in  the  pro- 
clamation  of  the  Governor. 

That  night,  Perkins  started  for  Fort  Stoddart,  on  the  Tombigbee,  and  com- 
municated his  suspicions  to  the  late  Gen.  Edmund  P.  Gaines,  then  the  lieu- 
tenant in  command.  The  next  day,  accompanied  by  Perkins  and  a  file  of 
mounted  soldiers,  Gaines  started  in  pursuit  of  Burr,  and  arrested  him  on  his 
journey.  Burr  attempted  to  intimidate  Gaines;  but  the  resolute  young  officer 
was  firm,  and  told  him  he  must  accompany  him  to  his  quarters,  where  he 
would  be  treated  with  all  the  respect  due  the  ex- Vice  President  of  the  United 
States. 

About  three  weeks  after,  Gaines  sent  Burr  a  prisoner  to  Richmond,  with  a 
sufficient  guard,  the  command  of  which  was  given  to  Perkins.  They  were 
all  men  whom  Perkins  had  selected,  and  upon  whom  he  could  rely  in  every 
emergency.  He  took  them  aside,  and  obtained  the  most  solemn  pledges,  that 
upon  the  whole  route  they  would  hold  no  interviews  with  Burr,  nor  suffer 
him  to  escape  alive.  Perkins  knew  the  fascinations  of  Burr,  and  he  feared 
his  familiarity  with  his  men, — indeed,  he  feared  the  same  influences  upon 
himself. 

Each  man  carried  provisions  for  himself,  and  some  for  the  prisoner.  They 
were  all  well  mounted  and  armed.  On  the  last  of  February,  they  set  out  on 
their  long  and  perilous  journey.  To  what  an  extremity  was  Burr  now  re- 
duced! In  the  boundless  wilds  of  Alabama,  with  none  to  hold  converse; 
surrounded  by  a  guard  to  whom  he  dared  not  speak  ;  a  prisoner  of  the  LTnited 
States,  for  whose  liberties  he  had  fought ;  his  fortune  swept  away  ;  the  mag- 
nificent scheme  for  the  conquest  of  Mexico  broken  up ;  slandered  and  hunted 
down  from  one  end  of  the  Union  to  another.  These  were  considerations  to 
crush  an  ordinary  man ;  but  his  was  no  common  mind  ;  and  the  characteris- 
tic fortitude  and  determination  which  had  ever  marked  his  course,  still  sus- 
tained him  in  the  darkest  hour. 

In  their  journey  through  Alabama,  they  always  slept  in  the  woods,  and 
after  a  hastily  prepared  breakfast,  it  was  their  custom  to  again  remount  and 
march  on  in  gloomy  silence.  Burr  was  a  splendid  rider,  and  in  his  rough 
garb,  he  bestrode  his  horse  as  elegantly,  and  his  large  dark  eyes  flashed  as 
brightly,  as  though  he  were  at  the  head  of  his  New  York  regiment.  He  was 
always  a  hardy  traveler,  and  though  wet  for  hours  together,  with  cold  and 
drizzling  rains,  riding  forty  miles  a  day,  and  at  night  stretched  on  a  pallet 
upon  the  ground,  he  never  uttered  one  word  of  complaint. 

A  few  miles  beyond  Fort  Wilkinson,  they  were,  for  the  first  time,  shel- 
tered under  a  roof, — a  tavern  kept  by  one  Bevin.  While  they  were  seated 
around  the  fire  awaiting  breakfast,  the  inquisitive  host  inquired  "  if  the 
traitor  Burr  had  been  taken?"  "  Was  he  not  a  bad  man?"  "  Wasn't  every 
body  afraid  of  him  ?"  Perkins  and  his  party  were  very  much  annoyed,  and 
made  no  reply.  Burr  was  sitting  in  the  corner  by  the  fire,  with  his  head 
down  ;  and  after  listening  to  the  inquisitiveness  of  Bevin  until  he  could  en- 
dure it  no  longer,  he  raised  himself  up,  and  planting  his  fiery  eyes  upon  him, 
said : — 
,  "  I  am  Aaron  Burr  ;  what  is  it  you  want  with  me  9" 

Bevin,  struck  with  his  appearance, — the  keenness  of  his  look,  and  the 
solemnity  and  dignity  of  his  manner,  stood  aghast,  and  trembled  like  a  leaf. 
He  uttered  not  another  word  while  the  guard  remained  at  his  house. 

When  they  reached  the  confines  of  South  Carolina,  Perkins  watched  Burr 
more  closely  than  ever,  for  his  son-in-law,  Colonel,  afterward  Governor 
Alston,  a  gentleman  of  talents  and  influence,  resided  in  this  State.  He  was 
obliged,  in  a  great  measure,  to  avoid  the  towns,  for  fear  of  a  rescue.  Before 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  229 

entering  the  town  of  Chester,  in  that  State,  the  party  halted,  and  surrounding 
Burr,  proceeded  on,  and  passed  near  a  tavern  where  many  persons  were  stand- 
ing; while  music  and  dancing  were  heard  in  the  house.  Burr  conceived  it  a 
favorable  opportunity  for  escape,  and  suddenly  dismounting,  exclaimed: 

"  I  am  Aaron  Burr,  under  military  arrest,  and  claim  protection  from  the 
civil  authorities !" 

Perkins  leaped  from  his  horse,  with  several  of  his  men,  and  ordered  him  to 
remount. 

"  I  will  not!"  replied  Burr. 

Not  wishing  to  shoot  him,  Perkins  threw  down  his  pistols,  and  being  a 
man  of  prodigious  strength,  and  the  prisoner  a  small  man,  seized  him  around 
the  waist,  and  placed  him  in  the  saddle,  as  though  he  was  a  child.  Thomas 
Malone,  one  of  the  guard,  caught  the  reins  of  the  bridle,  slipped  them  over 
the  horse's  head,  and  led  him  rapidly  on.  The  astonished  citizens,  when 
Burr  dismounted,  and  the  guards  cocked  their  pistols,  ran  within  the  piazza 
to  escape  from  danger. 

Burr  was  still,  to  some  extent,  popular  in  South  Carolina ;  and  any  waver- 
ing or  timidity  on  the  part  of  Perkins,  would  have  lost  him  his  prisoner ;  but 
the  celerity  of  his  movements,  gave  the  people  no  time  to  reflect,  before  he 
was  far  in  the  outskirts  of  the  village.  Here  the  guard  halted.  Burr  was 
highly  excited ;  he  was  in  tears !  The  kind-hearted  Malone  also  wept,  at 
seeing  the  uncontrollable  despondency  of  him  who  had,  hitherto,  proved  al- 
most iron-hearted.  It  was  the  first  time  any  one  had  ever  seen  Aaron  Burr 
unmanned. 

On  Burr's  arrival  at  Richmond,  the  ladies  of  the  city  vied  with  each  other 
in  contributing  to  his  comfort.  Some  sent  him  fruit ;  some  clothes ;  some 
one  thing  ;  some  another. 

Burr  was  tried  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  at  Rich- 
mond, for  treason,  and  found  not  guilty,  though  the  popular  voice  continued 
to  regard  him  as  a  traitor.  Failing  to  convict  the  principal,  the  numerous 
confederates  of  Burr  were  never  brought  to  trial,  and  were  discharged  from 
custody. 

After  his  trial,  Burr  went  abroad,  virtually  a  banished  man.  He  was  still 
full  of  his  schemes  against  Mexico,  and,  unsuccessfully,  attempted  to  enlist 
England,  and  then  France,  in  these  projects.  Here  his  funds  failed.  He  had 
no  friends  to  apply  to,  and  was  forced  to  borrow,  on  one  occasion,  a  couple 
of  sous  from  a  cigar  woman,  on  the  corner  of  the  street. 

At  last,  he  returned  to  New  York,  but  in  how  different  a  guise  from  the 
days  of  his  glory  !  No  cannon  thundered  at  his  coming ;  no  crowd  thronged 
along  the  quay.  Men  gazed  suspiciously  upon  him,  as  he  walked  along,  or 
crossed  the  street  to  avoid  him,  as  one  having  the  pestilence.  But  he  was 
not,  he  thought,  wholly  destitute.  His  daughter,  who  devotedly  clung  to  him 
through  all  his  trials,  still  lived  ;  his  heart  yearned  to  clasp  her  to  his  bosom. 
She  left  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  accordingly,  to  meet  him.  But  although 
more  than  thirty  years  have  elapsed,  no  tidings  of  the  pilot  boat,  on  which 
she  sailed,  have  ever  been  received.  Weeks  grew  into  months,  and  months 
glided  into  years,  but  her  father  and  husband  watched  in  vain  for  her  coming. 
Whether  the  vessel  perished  by  conflagration — whether  it  foundered  in  a  gale, 
or  whether  it  was  taken  by  pirates,  and  all  on  board  murdered,  will  never  be 
known  until  the  great  day,  when  the  sea  shall  give  up  its  dead. 

It  is  said  that  this  blow  broke  the  heart  of  Burr,  and  that,  though  in  public 
he  maintained  a  proud  equanimity,  in  private,  tears  forced  themselves  down 
his  furrowed  cheeks.  He  lived  thirty  years  after  this  event ;  but  in  his  own 
words,  "felt  severed  from  the  human  race."  He  had  neither  brother  nor 


230  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

sister,  nor  lineal  descendant.  No  man  ever  called  him  by  the  endearing  name 
of  friend.  The  weight  of  fourscore  years  was  on  his  brow.  He  was  racked 
by  disease.  At  last  death,  so  long  desired,  came,  but  it  is  said  in  a  misera- 
ble lodging  and  alone.  Was  there  ever  such  a  retribution? 

Scarcely  less  melancholy  was  the  fate  of  his  principal  victim,  Herman 
Blannerhasset.  This  gentleman  was  born  in  England,  of  Irish  parents,  in 
1767,  and  was  educated  for  the  bar.  He  married  Miss  Adeline  Agnew,  a 
grand-daughter  of  the  Gen.  Agnew,  who  was  with  Wolfe  at  Quebec.  She 
was  a  lady  of  fine  accomplishments,  of  great  personal  beauty,  and  fully  mer- 
ited the  celebrated  encomium  of  Wirt.  Strongly  imbued  with  republican 
principles,  Blannerhasset  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  and  commenced  im- 
provements about  the  year  1798,  upon  the  beautiful  island  which  bears  his 
name,  where  he  reared  a  mansion  which  became  the  abode  of  elegant  hospi- 
tality. He  was  a  fine  scholar,  and  refined  in  taste  and  manners.  Possessing 
an  ample  fortune,  a  beautiful  and  accomplished  wife,  and  children  just  bud 
ding  into  life,  he  seemed  surrounded  with  everything  which  can  make  exis- 
tence desirable  and  happy. 

In  1805,  Aaron  Burr  sailing  down  the  Ohio  landed,  uninvited,  on  trie  is- 
land,  where  he  was  received  with  frank  hospitality.  He  again  visited  the 
island,  and  enticed  Blannerhasset  into  his  plans.  When  the  Virginia  militia 
took  possession  of  the  island,  in  1806,  the  mob  spirit  ran  riot,  and  great  in- 
jury was  done  to  the  grounds,  and  the  dwelling,  and  its  furniture.  In  1811, 
the  work  of  devastation  was  completed  by  a  fire,  which  destroyed  the  man- 
sion. 

At  the  time  of  the  trial  of  Burr,  Blannerhasset  was  arrested,  and  placed  in 
the  penitentiary  at  Richmond.  When  he  was  set  at  liberty,  he  was  nearly 
ruined  in  fortune  by  the  advances  he  had  made  to  Burr.  He  then  settled  on 
a  cotton  plantation  in  Mississippi,  and  there  was  a  prospect  of  his  being  en 
abled  to  regain  his  lost  fortune ;  but  the  war  of  1812  broke  out,  and  cotton 
falling  to  a  merely  nominal  price,  and  his  numerous  creditors  pressing  upon 
him,  he  was  about  to  despair,  when  an  old  friend,  the  acting  governor  of 
^Canada,  hearing  of  his  critical  situation,  offered  him  a  judgeship  in  one  of 
the  provincial  courts.  He  accordingly  emigrated  to  Canada,  and  upon  ar- 
riving there  found  that  the  capriciousness  of  the  British  ministry  had  removed 
his  friend  from  office.  He  was  now  hopelessly  cast  upon  the  world,  at  an  ad- 
vanced age,  without  health  and  energy,  and  almost  entirely  destitute.  As  a 
last  resort,  he  sailed  for  Europe  to  prosecute  a  reversionary  claim,  still  exist- 
ing in  Ireland,  regarded  by  him  with  indifference  in  the  days  of  his  affluence. 

Through  the  influence  of  friends  also,  he  hoped  to  obtain  an  office  under 
the  English  government,  by  which  he  might  more  readily  obtain  the  means 
of  conducting  his  suit.  He  applied  for  an  office  to  Lord  Anglesey,  but  he 
coldly  repelled  the  solicitations  of  his  old  schoolmate.  His  plans  all  frus- 
trated, he  removed  to  the  island  of  Guernsey,  where,  in  1831,  wearied  with 
the  turmoil  of  life,  he  sank  to  his  eternal  rest,  in  the  63d  year  of  his  age. 
His  faithful  wife  returned  to  the  United  States  to  procure  indemnity  from 
Congress  for  spoliations  upon  their  property  by  the  militia.  But  before  the 
claim  could  be  considered,  she  died  in  abject  poverty,  in  an  humble  abode  in 
the  city  of  New  York.  In  her  last  hours,  she  was  surrounded  by  strangers, 
and  the  recipient  of  their  charity ;  and  her  remains  were  escorted  to  their 
final  resting-place,  by  some  humble  Irish  females. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  231 

THE  GREAT  PRAIRIE  WILDERNESS. 

WHAT  has  been  termed  the  Great  Prairie  Wilderness,  is  the  vast  territory 
lying  between  the  States  of  Louisiana,  Arkansas,  Missouri,  Iowa,  and  the 
Upper  Mississippi,  on  the  east,  and  the  Black  Hills  and  the  eastern  range  of 
the  Rocky  and  the  Cordillera  mountains  on  the  west.  About  a  thousand 
miles  of  longitude  and  near  two  thousand  miles  of  latitude,  equaling  the 
combined  area  of  several  of  the  powerful  Empires  of  Europe,  ana  that,  too, 
of  an  almost  continuous  plain.  The  sublime  Prairie  Wilderness! 

The  portion  of  this  vast  region,  two  hundred  miles  in  width,  along  the 
coast  of  Texas  and  the  frontier  of  Louisiana,  Arkansas,  Missouri,  and  that 
lying  within  the  same  distance  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  in  Iowa,  possesses  a 
rich,  deep  alluvial  soil,  capable  of  producing  the  most  abundant  crops  of  the 
grains,  vegetables,  &c.,  that  grow  in  such  latitudes. 

Another  portion,  lying  west  of  the  irregular  western  line  of  that  just 
described,  five  hundred  miles  in  width,  extending  from  the  mouth  of  St.  Peters 
or  Minnesota  River  to  the  Rio  del  Norte,  is  an  almost  unbroken  plain,  destitute 
of  trees,  save  here  and  there  one  scattered  at  intervals  for  many  miles  along 
the  banks  of  the  streams.  The  soil,  except  the  intervals  of  some  of  the  rivers, 
is  composed  of  coarse  sand  and  clay,  so  thin  and  hard  that  it  is  difficult  for 
travelers  to  penetrate  it  with  the  stakes  they  carry  with  them  wherewithal  to 
fasten  their  animals,  or  spread  their  tents.  Nevertheless  it  is  covered  thickly 
with  an  extremely  nutritious  grass  peculiar  to  this  region  of  country,  the 
blades  of  which  are  wiry,  and  about  two  inches  in  height. 

The  remainder  of  the  Great  Wilderness,  lying  three  hundred  miles  in  width 
along  the  eastern  base  of  the  Black  Hills,  and  that  part  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains between  the  Platte  and  the  Arkansas  and  the  Cordilleras  range  east  of 
the  Rio  del  Norte,  is  the  arid  waste  usually  called  the  Great  American  Desert. 
Its  soil  is  composed  of  dark  gravel  mixed  with  sand.  Some  small  portions 
of  it  on  the  banks  of  the  streams,  are  covered  with  tall  prairie  and  bunch 
grass;  others,  with  wild  wormwood;  but  even  these  kinds  of  vegetation 
decrease  and  finally  disappear  as  you  approach  the  mountains.  A  scene  of 
desolation  scarcely  equaled  on  the  continent  is  this,  when  viewed  in  the 
dearth  of  midsummer  from  the  bases  of  the  hills.  Above  you  rise  in  sublime 
confusion,  mass  upon  mass,  of  shattered  cliffs,  through  which  are  struggling 
the  dark  foliage  of  stinted  shrub  cedars;  while  below  you  spreads  far  and 
wide  the  burnt  and  arid  desert,  whose  solemn  silence  is  seldom  broken  by  the 
tread  of  any  other  animal  than  the  wolf  or  the  starved  and  thirsty  horse  that 
bears  the  traveler  across  its  wastes. 

The  principal  streams  that  intersect  the  Great  Prairie  Wilderness,  are  the 
Colorado,  the  Brasos,  Trinity,  Red,  Arkansas,  Great  Platte,  and  the  Missouri. 
The  latter  is  in  many  respects  a  noble  stream.  In  the  month  of  April,  May, 
and  June,  it  is  navigable  for  steamboats  to  the  Great  Falls;  but  the  scar- 
city of  water  during  the  remainder  of  the  year,  the  scarcity  of  wood  and  coal 
along  its  banks,  its  rapid  current,  its  winding  course,  its  falling  banks,  the 
timber  imbedded  in  its  channel,  and  its  constantly  shifting  sand-bars,  will 
ever  prevent  its  being  extensively  navigated.  Above  the  mouth  of  the  Little 
Missouri  and  in  the  tributaries  there  flowing  into  it,  are  said  to  be  many 
charming  and  productive  valleys  separated  from  each  other  by  secondary 
rocky  ridges  sparsely  covered  with  evergreens ;  and  high  over  all,  far  in  the 
southwest,  west,  and  northwest,  tower  in  view  the  Rocky  mountains,  whose 
inexhaustible  magazines  of  snow  and  ice  have  for  ages  supplied  these  valleys 
with  refreshing  spc!ngs  and  those  vast  rivers  with  their  tribute  to  the  seas. 
29 


232  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

Lewis  and  Clark  in  their  way  to  Oregon  in  1805,  made  the  passage  at  the 
Great  Falls  of  the  Missouri  thirteen  miles,  in  which  distance  the  water 
descended  three  hundred  and  fifty -two  feet,  the  greatest  pitch  being  ninety- 
eight  feet.  They  ascended  to  the  extreme  head  of  navigation,  making  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  from  whence  they  started,  3096  miles — four 
hundred  and  twenty-nine  of  which  lay  among  the  sublime  crags  and  cliffs  of 
the  Rocky  mountains. 

The  Great  Platte  or  Nebraska  has  a  course  by  its  northern  fork  of  about 
1500  miles,  and  by  its  southern  somewhat  more.  During  the  summer  and 
autumn  it  is  too  shallow  to  float  even  a  canoe;  and  in  winter  is  bound  with 
ice.  But  it  is  of  great  value  as  the  route  of  overland  emigration  to  California 
and  Oregon.  Loaded  wagons  pass  without  serious  interruption,  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Platte  to  navigable  waters  on  the  Columbia  in  Oregon,  and 
the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  in  California.  The  Platte,  therefore,  when  con- 
sidered in  relation  to  our  intercourse  with  the  habitable  countries  in  the 
Western  Ocean,  assumes  an  unequaled  importance  among  the  streams  of  the 
Great  Western  Wilderness!  But  for  it,  it  would  be  impossible  for  man  or 
beast  to  travel  those  arid  plains,  destitute  alike  of  wood,  water,  and  grass, 
save  what  of  each  is  found  along  its  course.  Upon  the  head  waters  of  the 
North  fork  too,  is  the  only  way  or  opening  in  the  Rocky  mountains  at  all 
practicable  for  a  carriage  road  through  them.  That  traversed  by  Lewis  and 
Clark  is  covered  with  perpetual  snow;  that  near  the  passage  of  the  South 
fork  of  the  river  is  over  high  and  nearly  impassable  precipices;  and  that 
farther  south  is,  and  ever  will  be,  impassable  for  wheel  carriages.  But  the 
Great  Gap  or  "the  South  Pass,"  nearly  in  a  right  line  between  the  mouth  of 
Missouri  and  Fort  Hall  on  Clark's  River, — the  point  near  where  the  trails  to 
California  and  Oregon  diverge — seems  designed  by  nature  as  the  great  gate- 
way between  the  nations  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  seas. 

The  Red  River  has  a  course  of  about  1500  miles,  and  derives  its  name 
from  the  color  of  its  waters,  produced  by  a  rich,  red  earth  or  marl  in  its 
banks,  far  up  in  the  Prairie  Wilderness.  So  abundant  is  this  in  the  waters, 
that  during  the  spring  freshets  it  leaves  a  deposit  on  the  overflowed  lands  of 
half  an  inch  in  thickness.  Three  hundred  miles  from  its  mouth  commences 
what  is  called  the  Raft,  a  covering  formed  by  drift  wood,  which  conceals 
the  whole  river  for  forty  miles,  and  is  so  thickly  covered  with  the  sediment 
of  the  stream  that  vegetation,  even  trees  of  a  considerable  size  are  growing 
upon  it.  For  seven  hundred  miles  above  the  raft,  the  river  is  one  series  ot 
sand-bars,  among  which  in  summer  the  water  stands  in  ponds.  As  you 
approach  the  mountains  it  becomes  contracted  within  narrow  limits  over  a 
gravelly  bottom  and  a  swift,  clear,  and  abundant  stream. 

The  Trinity,  the  Brasos,  and  the  Rio  Colorado  have  each  a  course  ot 
about  1200  miles,  rising  in  the  plains  and  mountains  on  the  north  and  north- 
west of  Texas,  and  running  south  and  south-east  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
The  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte  bounds  the  Great  Prairie  Wilderness  on  the  south 
and  south-west.  It  is  near  2000  miles  long,  but  it  is  shallow,  and  for  most 
of  its  course  scarcely  navigable  at  times  for  even  the  canoe  of  the  Indian. 

The  Arkansas,  after  the  Missouri,  is  the  most  considerable  river  of  the 
Great  Prairie  Wilderness.  It  takes  its  rise  among  the  mountains,  in  places 
there  passing  through  charming  valleys,  and  again  through  awful  chasms. 
Its  total  length  is  2173  miles.  In  freshets  large  and  heavy  boats  can  pass 
from  its  mouth  to  where  the  river  escapes  from  the  mountains.  In  the  dry 
season  its  waters  are  strongly  impregnated  with  salt  and  niter. 

The  trials  of  a  journey  across  the  Great  Prairie  Wilderness,  and  thence 
over  the  mountains  through  the  western  wilderness  beyond,  can  never  be 


CALIFORNIA   EMIGRANTS 

A  caravan  of  emigrants  crossing  the  Great  American  Desert,  on  their  route  to  California 
and  Oregon 


233 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  235 

detailed  in  words ;  to  be  understood,  they  must  be  endured.  The  desolation 
of  one  kind  and  another  which  meets  the  eye  everywhere ;  the  sense  of  vast- 
ness  associated  with  dearth  and  barrenness ;  one  half  the  time  on  foot  treading 
on  the  flinty  gravel  and  the  thorns  of  the  prickly  pear  along  the  unbroken 
way  ;  and  the  starvings  and  thirstings  wilt  the  muscles,  send  preternatural 
activity  into  the  nervous  system,  and  through  the  whole  animal  and  mental 
economy  a  feebleness  and  irritability  altogether  indescribable. 


THE  GREAT  EARTHQUAKE  OF  1811. 

THIS  memorable  earthquake,  after  shaking  the  Mississippi  valley  to  its 
center,  vibrated  along  the  courses  of  the  rivers  and  villages,  and  passing 
the  Alleghany  mountains  died  away  along  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

The  town  of  New  Madrid  in  the  southern  part  of  Missouri,  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  settlement  of  New  Prairie  some  thirty  miles 
below  it,  appeared  to  be  near  the  center  of  the  most  violent  shocks.  The 
first  occurred  on  the  night  of  the  15th  of  December,  and  they  were  repeated 
at  intervals  for  two  or  three  months.  A  gentleman  who  resided  at  New 
Madrid  a  few  years  later,  derived  from  eye-witnesses  a  full  account  of  these 
disturbances  which  he  has  recorded,  as  follows: — 

From  the  accounts,  I  infer  that  the  shock  of  these  earthquakes  must  have 
equaled  in  their  terrible  heavings  of  the  earth,  anything  of  the  kind  that  has 
been  recorded,  I  do  not  believe  that  the  public  have  ever  yet  had  any  idea 
of  the  violence  of  the  concussions.  We  are  accustomed  to  measure  this  by 
the  buildings  overturned,  and  the  mortality  that  results.  Here,  the  country 
was  thinly  settled.  The  houses,  fortunately,  were  frail  and  of  logs,  the  most 
difficult  to  overturn  that  could  be  constructed.  Yet,  as  it  was,  whole  tracks 
were  plunged  into  the  beds  of  the  Mississippi.  The  graveyard  at  New 
Madrid,  with  all  its  sleeping  tenants,  was  precipitated  into  the  bed  of  the 
stream.  Most  of  the  houses  were  thrown  down.  Large  lakes*  of  many 
miles  in  extent  were  made  in  an  hour.  Other  lakes  were  drained.  The 
whole  country  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  in  one  direction,  and  to  the  St. 
Francis  in  another,  including  a  front  of  three  hundred  miles,  was  convulsed 
to  such  a  degree  as  to  create  lakes  and  islands,  the  number  of  which  is  not 
known.  The  trees  split  in  the  midst,  lashed  one  with  another,  are  still 
visible  over  great  tracts  of  country,  inclining  in  every  direction  and  in  every 
angle  to  the  earth  and  the  horizon.  The  people  described  the  undulations 
of  the  earth  as  resembling  waves,  increasing  in  elevation  as  they  advanced, 
and  when  they  had  attained  a  certain  fearful  height,  the  earth  would  burst, 
and  vast  volumes  of  water  and  sand  and  pit  coal,  would  discharge  as  high  as 
the  tops  of  the  trees.  I  have  seen  a  hundred  of  these  chasms,  which 
remained  fearfully  deep,  although  in  a  very  tender  alluvial  soil,  after  a  lapse 
of  seven  years. 

Whole  districts  were  covered  with  white  sand,  so  as  to  become  uninhabit- 
able. The  water  at  first  covered  the  whole  country,  particularly  at  the 
Little  Prairie ;  and  indeed,  it  must  have  been  a  scene  of  horror,  in  these  deep 
forests  and  in  the  gloom  of  the  darkest  night,  and  by  wading  in  the  water  to 


*  One  of  the  lakes  formed  on  this  occasion,  is  sixty  or  seventy  miles  hi  length,  and  from  three 
to  twenty  in  breadth,  and  although  in  some  places  very  shallow,  yet  in  others  from  fifty  to  one 
hundred  feet  deep.  In  skimming  over  its  surface  in  the  light  canoe,  the  voyager  is  struck  with 
astonishment  at  beholding  cane  brakes  covering  its  bottom,  and  immense  trees  standing  far  below 
him,  branchless  and  leafless. 


236  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

the  middle  to  fly  from  these  concussions,  which  were  occurring  every  few 
hours,  with  a  noise  equally  terrible  to  beasts  and  birds  as  to  men.  The 
birds  themselves  lost  all  power  and  disposition  to  fly,  and  retreated  to  the 
bosoms  of  men,  their  fellow-sufferers  in  this  general  convulsion.  A  few 
persons  sunk  in  these  chasms  and  were  providentially  extricated.  A  number 
perished,  who  sunk  with  their  boats  in  the  Mississippi.*  A  bursting  of  the 
earth  just  below  the  village  of  New  Madrid,  arrested  the  mighty  Mississippi 
in  its  course,  and  caused  a  reflux  of  its  waves,  by  which  in  a  little  time,  a 
great  number  of  boats  were  swept  by  the  ascending  current  into  the  mouth  of 
the  Bayou,  carried  out,  and  left  upon  the  dry  earth,  when  the  accumulating 
waters  of  the  river  had  again  cleared  their  current. 

There  were  a  number  of  severe  shocks,  but  two  series  of  concussions  were 
particularly  terrible;  far  more  so  than  the  rest.  The  shocks  were  clearly 
distinguishable  into  two  classes:  those  in  which  the  motion  was  horizontal, 
and  those  in  which  it  was  perpendicular.  The  latter  were  attended  with  the 
explosions,  and  the  terrible  mixture  of  noises  that  preceded  and  accompanied 
the  earthquakes  in  a  louder  degree,  but  were  by  no  means  so  desolating  and 
destructive  as  the  other.  Then  the  houses  crumbled,  the  trees  waved  together, 
the  ground  sunk;  while  ever  and  anon  vivid  flashes  of  lightning  gleaming 
through  the  troubled  clouds  of  night,  rendered  the  darkness  doubly  horrible. 
After  the  severest  shocks,  a  dense  black  cloud  of  vapor  overshadowed  the 
land,  through  which  no  struggling  sunbeam  found  its  way  to  cheer  the  heart 
of  man.  The  sulphurated  gases  that  were  discharged  during  the  shocks 
tainted  the  air  with  their  noxious  effluvia,  and  so  impregnated  the  water  of 
the  river  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  as  to  render  it  unfit  for  use. 

In  the  interval  of  the  earthquakes,  there  was  one  evening,  and  that  a 
brilliant  and  cloudless  one,  in  which  the  western  sky  was  a  continued  glare 
of  repeated  peals  of  subterranean  thunder,  seeming  to  proceed  as  the  flashes 
did,  from  below  the  horizon.  They  remark  that  the  night  so  conspicuous  for 
subterranean  thunder,  was  the  same  period  in  which  the  fatal  earthquakes  at 
Caracas  in  South  America  occurred,  and  they  seem  to  suppose  these  flashes 
and  that  event,  part  of  the  same  scene. 

One  result  from  these  terrific  phenomena  was  very  obvious.  The  people 
of  this  village  had  been  noted  for  their  profligacy  and  impiety.  In  the  midst 
of  those  scenes  of  terror,  all,  Catholics  and  Protestants,  praying  and  profane, 
became  of  one  religion  and  partook  of  one  feeling.  Two  hundred  people 
speaking  English,  French,  and  Spanish,  crowded  together,  their  visages  pale, 
the  mothers  embracing  their  children, — as  soon  as  the  omen  that  preceded 
the  earthquakes  became  visible,  as  soon  as  the  air  became  a  little  obscured, 
as  though  a  sudden  mist  arose  from  the  east,1 — all,  in  their  different  languages 
and  forms;  but  all  deeply  in  earnest,  betook  themselves  to  the  voice  of 
prayer.  The  cattle,  much  terrified,  crowded  about  the  people  seeking  to 
demand  protection  or  community  of  danger. 

The  general  impulse  when  the  shocks  commenced,  was  to  run;  and  yet 
when  they  were  at  their  severest  point  of  their  motion,  the  people  were  thrown 
on  the  ground  at  almost  every  step.  A  French  gentleman  told  me  that  in 
escaping  from  his  house,  the  largest  in  the  village,  he  found  he  had  left  an 

*  From  the  temporary  check  to  the  current,  by  the  heavin?  up  of  the  bottom,  the  sinking  of  th« 
banks  and  sandbars  hito  the  bed  of  the  stream,  the  river  rose  in  a  few  minutes  five  or  six  feet;  then 
as  if  Impatient  of  restraint,  again  rushed  forward  as  impetuous  as  if  descending  to  plunge  into  a 
deep  abyss.  The  unhappy  crews  of  the  boats  near  the  shore,  were  overwhelmed,  and  many 
perished  by  the  banks  caving  in  upon  them,  and  by  the  eddies  and  the  whirlpools,  from  the  counter 
currents. 


THE   GREAT   EARTHQUAKE   AT   NSW   MADRID 

"Then  the  houses  crumbled,  the  trees  waved  together,  the  ground 
Bunk:  while  ever  and  anon  vivid  flashes  of  lightning,  gleaming  through 
the  troubled  clouds  of  night,  rendered  the  darkness  douMy  horrible  " 


i 

< 


237 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  239 

infant  behind,  and  he  attempted  to  mount  up  the  raised  piazza  to  recover  the 
child  and  was  thrown  down  a  dozen  times  in  succession. 

The  venerable  lady  in  whose  dwelling  we  lodged,  was  extricated  from  the 
ruins  of  her  house,  having  lost  everything  that  appertained  to  her  establish- 
ment, which  could  be  broken  or  destroyed. 

The  people  at  the  Litfle  Prairie,  who  suffered  most,  had  their  settlement, 
which  consisted  of  a  hundred  families,  and  which  was  located  in  a  rich  and 
very  deep  fertile  bottom,  broken  up.  When  I  passed  it  and  stopped  to  con- 
template the  traces  of  the  catastrophe  which  remained  after  several  years,  the 
crevices  where  the  earth  had  burst  were  sufficiently  manifest,  and  the  whole 
region  was  covered  with  sand  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three  feet.  The  surface 
was  red  with  oxydized  pyrites  of  iron,  and  the  sand-blows,  as  they  were  called, 
were  abundantly  mixed  with  this  kind  of  earth,  and  with  pieces  of  pit-coal. 
But  two  families  remained  of  the  whole  settlement.  The  object  seems  to 
have  been,  in  the  first  paroxysms  of  alarm,  to  escape  to  the  hills.  The  depth 
of  water  that  soon  covered  the  surface,  precluded  escape. 

The  people,  without  exception,  were  unlettered  backwoodsmen,  of  the  class 
least  addicted  to  reasoning.  And  yet,  it  is  remarkable,  how  ingeniously  and 
conclusively  they  reasoned,  from  apprehension  sharpened  by  fear.  They 
observed  that  the  chasms  in  the  earth  were  in  the  direction  from  southwest  to 
northeast,  and  they  were  of  an  extent  to  swallow  up  not  only  men  but  houses 
"down  deep  into  the  pit."  And  these  chasms  occurred  frequently  within 
intervals  of  half  a  mile.  They  felled  the  tallest  trees  at  right  angles  to  the 
chasms,  and  stationed  themselves  upon  the  felled  trees.  Meantime  their 
cattle  and  their  harvests,  both  there  and  at  New  Madrid,  principally  perished. 

The  people  no  longer  dared  to  dwell  in  houses.  They  passed  that  winter 
and  the  succeeding  one  in  bark  booths  and  camps,  like  those  of  the  Indians, 
of  so  light  a  texture  as  not  to  expose  the  inhabitants  to  danger  in  case  of 
their  being  thrown  down.  Such  numbers  of  laden  boats  were  wrecked  above 
on  the  Mississippi,  and  the  lading  driven  into  the  eddy  at  the  mouth  of 
the  bayou,  at  the  village  which  makes  the  harbor,  that  the  people  were 
amply  supplied  with  provision  of  every  kind.  Flour,  beef,  pork,  bacon, 
butter,  cheese,  apples,  in  short  everything  that  is  carried  down  the  river,  was 
in  such  abundance,  as  scarcely  to  be  matters  of  sale.  Many  boats  that  came 
safely  into  the  bayou,  were  disposed  of  by  the  affrighted  owners  for  a  trifle; 
for  the  shocks  continued  daily;  and  the  owners  deeming  the  whole  country 
below  to  be  sunk,  were  glad  to  return  to  the  upper  country  as  fast  as  possible. 
In  effect,  a  great  many  islands  were,  sunk,  new  ones  raised,  and  the  bed  of 
the  river  very  much  changed  in  every  respect. 

After  the  earthquake  had  moderated  in  violence,  the  country  exhibited  a 
melancholy  aspect  of  chasms,  of  sand  covering  the  earth,  of  trees  thrown 
down,  or  lying  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  or  split  in  the  middle.  The 
Little  Prairie  settlement  was  broken  up.  The  Great  Prairie  settlement,  one 
of  the  most  flourishing  before  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  was  much 
diminished.  New  Madrid  dwindled  to  insignificance  and  decay;  the  people 
trembling  in  their  miserable  hovels  at  the  distant  and  melancholy  rumbling 
of  the  approaching  shocks. 

The  general  government  passed  an  act  allowing  the  inhabitants  of  the 
country  to  locate  the  same  quantity  of  lands  that  they  possessed  here,  in  any 
part  of  the  territory,  where  the  lands  were  not  yet  covered  by  any  claim. 
These  claims  passed  into  the  hands  of  speculators  and  were  never  of  any 
substantial  benefit  to  the  possessors. 

When  I  resided  there,  this  district,  formerly  so  level,  rich,  and  beautiful, 
had  the  most  melancholy  of  all  aspects  of  decay — the  tokens  of  former  culti 
30 


240  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

vation  and  habitancy,  which  were  now  mementos  of  desolation  and  desertion. 
Large  and  beautiful  orchards  left  uninclosed,  houses  deserted,  deep  chasms 
in  the  earth,  obvious  at  frequent  intervals.  Such  was  the  face  of  the  country, 
although  the  people  had  for  years  become  so  accustomed  to  frequent  and 
small  shocks,  which  did  no  essential  injury,  that  the  lands  were  gradually- 
rising  again  in  value,  and  New  Madrid  was  slowly  rebuilding  with  frail 
buildings  adapted  to  the  apprehensions  of  the  people. 


VOYAGE  OP  THE  FIRST  WESTERN  STEAMBOAT. 

THE  h'rst  western  steamboat,  was  the  New  Orleans,  a  craft  of  four  hundred 
tons  burden,  which  was  built  at  Pittsburgh  in  1811.  The  origin  of  this 
boat  and  the  history  of  her  first  voyage,  is  thus  given  by  Latrobe,  from  which 
it  will  be  seen  that  she  narrowly  escaped  being  overwhelmed  in  the  great 
earthquakes  that  signalized  the  latter  part  of  that  year  in  the  annals  of 
the  west. 

The  complete  success  attending  the  experiments  in  steam  navigation  made 
on  the  Hudson,  and  the  adjoining  waters  previous  to  the  year  1809,  turned 
the  attention  of  the  principal  projectors  to  the  idea  of  its  application  on  the 
western  waters;  and  in  the  month  of  April  of  that  year,  Mr.  Rosevelt  of 
New  York,  pursuant  to  an  agreement  with  Chancellor  Livingston  and  Mr. 
Fulton,  visited  those  rivers  with  the  purpose  of  forming  an  opinion  whether 
they  admitted  of  steam  navigation  or  not.  At  this  time  two  boats,  the  North 
River  and  the  Clermont  were  running  on  the  Hudson. 

Mr.  Rosevelt  surveyed  the  rivers  from  Pittsburgh  to  New  Orleans,  and  as 
his  report  was  favorable,  it  was  decided  to  build  a  boat  at  the  former  town. 
This  was  done  under  his  direction,  and  in  the  course  of  1811,  the  first  boat 
was  launched  upon  the  waters  of  the  Ohio.  It  was  called  the  "New 
Orleans,"  and  was  intended  to  ply  between  Natchez  and  New  Orleans. 
In  October,  it  left  Pittsburgh  on  its  experimental  voyage.  On  this  occasion, 
no  freight  or  passengers  were  taken,  the  object  being  merely  to  bring  the  boat 
to  her  station.  Mr.  Rosevelt,  his  young  wife  and  family,  Mr.  Baker,  the 
engineer,  Andrew  Jack,  the  pilot,  and  six  hands  with  a  few  domestics,  formed 
her  whole  burden.  There  were  no  woodyards  at  that  time,  and  constant 
delays  were  unavoidable. 

When  as  related,  Mr.  Rosevelt  had  gone  down  the  river  to  reconnoiter,  he 
had  discovered  two  beds  of  coal,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  below 
the  rapids  of  Louisville,  and  now  took  tools  to  work  them,  intending  to  load 
the  vessel  with  coal,  and  to  employ  it  as  fuel,  instead  of  constantly  detaining 
the  boat  while  wood  was  procuring  from  the  banks. 

Late  at  night,  on  the  fourth  day  after  quitting  Pittsburgh,  they  arrived  in 
safety  at  Louisville,  having  been  but  seventy  hours  descending  upward  of 
seven  hundred  miles.  The  novel  appearance  of  the  vessel,  and  the  fearful 
rapidity  with  which  it  made  its  passage  over  the  broad  reaches  of  the  river, 
excited  a  mixture  of  terror  and  surprise  among  many  of  the  settlers  on  the 
banks,  whom  the  rumor  of  such  an  invention  had  never  reached :  and  it  is 
related,  that  on  the  unexpected  arrival  of  the  vessel  before  Louisville,  in  the 
course  of  a  fine,  still  moonlight  night,  the  extraordinary  sound  which  filled 
the  air  as  the  pent  up  steam  was  suffered  to  escape  from  the  valves,  on  round- 
ing to,  produced  a  general  alarm,  and  multitudes  in  the  town  rose  from  their 
beds  to  ascertain  the  cause. 

I  have  heard  the  general  impression  among  the  good  Kentuckians,  was, 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  241 

that  the  comet  had  fallen  into  the  Ohio;  but  this  does  not  rest  upon  the  same 
foundation  as  the  other  facts  which  I  lay  before  you,  and  which  I  may  at  once 
say,  I  had  directly  from  the  lips  of  the  parties  themselves.  The  small  depth 
of  water  in  the  rapids,  prevented  the  boat  from  pursuing  her  voyage  imme- 
diately; and  during  the  consequent  detention  of  three  weeks  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  Ohio  several  trips  were  successfully  made  between  Louisville  and 
Cincinnati.  In  fine,  the  waters  rose,  and  in  the  course  of  the  last  week  in 
November,  the  voyage  was  resumed,  the  depth  of  water  barely  admitting 
their  passage. 

When  they  arrived  about  five  miles  above  the  Yellow  Banks,  they  moved 
the  boat  opposite  the  first  vein  of  coal,  which  was  on  the  Indiana  side,  and 
had  been  purchased  in  the  interim  of  the  State  government.  They  found  a 
large  quantity  already  quarried  to  their  hand  and  conveyed  to  the  shore  by 
depredators  who  had  not  found  means  to  carry  it  off,  and  with  this  they 
commenced  loading  the  boat.  While  thus  employed,  our  voyagers  were 
accosted  in  great  alarm  by  the  squatters  of  the  neighborhood,  who  inquired 
if  they  had  not  heard  strange  noises  on  the  river  and  in  the  woods  in  the 
course  of  the  preceding  day,  and  perceived  the  shores  shake — insisting  that 
they  had  repeatedly  felt  the  earth  tremble. 

Hitherto,  nothing  extraordinary  had  been  perceived.  The  following  day 
they  pursued  their  monotonous  voyage  in  those  vast  solitudes.  The  weather 
was  observed  to  be  oppressively  hot;  the  air  misty,  still  and  dull ;  and  though 
the  sun  was  visible  like  a  glowing  ball  of  copper,  his  rays  hardly  shed  more 
than  a  mournful  twilight  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  Evening  drew  nigh, 
and  with  it  some  indications  of  what  was  passing  around  them,  became  evi- 
dent. And  as  they  sat  on  deck,  they  ever  and  anon  heard  a  rushing  sound 
and  violent  splash,  and  saw  large  portions  of  the  shore  tearing  away  from  the 
land  and  falling  into  the  river.  It  was,  as  my  informant  said,  an  awful  day; 
so  still  that  you  could  have  heard  a  pin  drop  on  the  deck!  They  spoke  little, 
for  every  one  on  board  appeared  thunderstruck.  The  comet  had  disappeared 
about  this  time,  which  circumstance  was  noticed  with  awe  by  the  crew. 

The  second  day  after  leaving  the  Yellow  Banks,  the  sun  was  over  the 
forests,  the  same  dim  ball  of  fire,  and  the  air  was  thick,  dull,  and  oppressive 
as  before.  The  portentous  signs  of  this  terrible  natural  convulsion  continued 
and  increased.  The  pilot,  alarmed  and  confused,  affirmed  that  he  was  lost, 
as  he  found  the  channel  everywhere  altered;  and  where  he  had  hitherto 
known  deep  water,  there  lay  numberless  trees  with  their  roots  upward.  The 
trees  were  seen  waving  and  nodding  on  the  bank,  without  a  wind,  but  the 
adventurers  had  no  choice  but  to  continue  their  route.  Toward  evening 
they  found  themselves  at  loss  for  a  place  of  shelter.  They  had  usually 
brought  to  under  the  shore,  but  everywhere  they  saw  the  high  banks  disap- 
pearing, overwhelming  many  a  flat-boat  and  raft,  from  which  the  owners  had 
landed  and  escaped. 

A  large  island  in  mid-channel,  selected  by  the  pilot  as  the  better  alternative, 
was  sought  for  in  vain,  having  disappeared  entirely.  Thus,  in  doubt  and  ter- 
ror, they  proceeded,  hour  after  hour,  until  dark,  when  they  found  a  small 
island,  and  moored  themselves  at  its  foot.  Here  they  lay,  keeping  watch  on 
deck  during  the  long  winter's  night,  listening  to  the  sound  of  the  waters, 
which  roared  and  gurgled  horribly  around  them ;  and  hearing,  from  time  to 
time,  the  rushing  earth  slide  from  the  shore,  and  the  commotion  as  the  falling 
mass  of  earth  and  trees  was  swallowed  up  by  the  river.  The  lady  of  the 
party,  a  delicate  female,  who  had  just  been  confined  on  board  as  they  lay  off 
Louisville,  was  frequently  awakened  from  her  restless  slumber  by  the  jar 
given  to  the  furniture  and  loose  articles  in  the  cabin,  as  several  times  in  the 


242  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

course  of  the  night,  the  shock  of  the  passing  earth  was  communicated  from 
the  island  to  the  bow  of  the  vessel.  It  was  a  long  night,  but  morning  showed 
them  that  they  were  near  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio.  The  shores  and  channel 
were  now  not  recognizable,  for  everything  seemed  changed.  About  noon  of 
that  day,  they  reached  the  small  town  of  New  Madrid,  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  Mississippi.  Here  they  found  the  inhabitants  in  the  greatest  distress  and 
consternation ;  part  of  the  population  had  fled,  in  terror,  to  the  higher  grounds, 
others  prayed  to  be  taken  on  board,  as  the  earth  was  opening  in  fissures  on 
every  side,  and  their  houses  hourly  falling  around  them. 

Proceeding  from  thence,  they  found  the  Mississippi  unusually  swollen, 
turbid  and  full  of  trees,  and  after  many  days  of  great  danger,  though  they  felt 
and  perceived  no  more  of  the  earthquakes,  they  reached  their  destination  at 
Natchez  at  the  close  of  the  first  week  in  January,  1812,  to  the  astonishment 
of  all,  the  escape  of  the  boat  having  been  considered  an  impossibility. 

The  Orleans  continued  to  run  between  New  Orleans  and  Natchez,  making 
her  voyages  to  average  seventeen  days,  until  1813  or  '14,  when  she  was 
wrecked  near  Baton  Rouge  by  striking  on  a  snag.  In  the  course  of  the  few 
years  succeeding  the  construction  of  the  Orleans,  several  other  boats  were 
built  and  launched  upon  the  western  rivers.  Yet  such  was  their  want  of  suc- 
cess that  the  public  had  no  faith  that  steamboat  navigation  would  succeed 
upon  the  western  waters,  until  the  trip  of  the  Washington  in  the  spring  of 
1817,  when  she  went  from  Louisville  to  New  Orleans  and  returned  in  forty- 
five  days.  This  boat  was  of  four  hundred  tons  burden,  and  was  built  at 
Wheeling  under  the  direction  of  her  captain,  H.  M.  Shreve.  "Her  boilers," 
says  Judge  Hall  in  his  Notes,  "were  on  the  upper  deck,  and  she  was  the  first 
boat  on  that  plan,  since  so  generally  in  use." 


SKETCH  OF  TECUMSEH,  AND  THE  INDIAN  WAK  OF  1811. 

THE  celebrated  Shawanee  chief,  Tecumseh,  was  born  a  few  years  before 
the  war  of  the  revolution,  at  the  Indian  village  of  Piqua,  on  Mad  River,  about 
six  miles  below  the  site  of  Springfield,  Clark  County,  Ohio.  His  tribe  re- 
moved from  Florida  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century.  His  father,  who 
was  a  chief,  fell  at  the  bloody  battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  in  1774.  From  his 
youth,  he  snowed  a  passion  for  war ;  he  early  acquired  an  unbounded  influ- 
ence over  his  tribe  from  his  bravery,  his  sense  of  justice,  and  his  commanding 
eloquence.  Like  his  great  prototype,  Pontiac,  humanity  was  a  prominent 
trait  in  his  character.  He  not  only  was  never  known  to  ill-treat  or  murder  a 
prisoner,  but  indignantly  denounced  those  who  did,  employing  all  his  au- 
thority and  eloquence  in  behalf  of  the  helpless.  In  1798,  Tecumseh  re- 
moved with  his  followers  to  the  vicinity  of  White  River,  Indiana,  among  the 
Delawares,  where  he  remained  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1805,  through  the 
influence  of  Laulewasikaw,  the  brother  of  Tecumseh,  a  large  number  of 
Shavvanees  established  themselves  at  Greenville.  Very  soon  after,  Laule- 
wasikaw assumed  the  office  of  a  prophet;  and  forthwith  commenced  that 
career  of  cunning  and  pretended  sorcery,  which  enabled  him  to  sway  the  In- 
dian mind  in  a  wonderful  degree.  Throughout  the  year  1806,  the  brothers 
remained  at  Greenville,  and  were  visited  by  many  Indians  from  different  tribes, 
not  a  few  of  whom  became  their  followers.  The  Prophet  dreamed  many 
wonderful  dreams,  and  claimed  to  have  had  many  supernatural  revelations 
made  to  him  ;  the  great  eclipse  of  the  sun  which  occurred  in  the  summer  of 
this  year,  a  knowledge  of  which  he  had  by  some  means  attained,  enabled  him 
to  carrv  conviction  to  the  minds  of  many  of  hie  ignorant  followers,  that  he 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  243 

was  really  the  earthly  agent  of  the  Great  Spirit.  He  boldly  announced  to 
the  unbelievers,  that  on  a  certain  day,  he  would  give  them  proof  of  his  super- 
natural powers,  by  bringing  darkness  over  the  sun ;  when  the  day  and  hour 
of  the  eclipse  arrived,  and  the  earth,  even  at  mid-day,  was  shrouded  in  the 
gloom  of  twilight,  the  Prophet,  standing  in  the  midst  of  his  party,  significant- 
ly pointed  to  the  heavens,  and  cried  out,  "Did  I  not  prophesy  truly?  Be- 
hold !  darkness  has  shrouded  the  sun !"  It  may  readily  be  supposed  that  this 
striking  phenomenon,  thus  adroitly  used,  produced  a  strong  impression  on  the 
Indians,  and  greatly  increased  their  belief  in  the  sacred  character  of  their 
Prophet. 

In  the  spring  of  1808,  Tecumseh  and  the  Prophet  removed  to  a  tract  of 
land  on  the  Tippecanoe,  a  tributary  of  the  Wabash,  where  the  latter  con- 
tinued his  efforts  to  induce  the  Indians  to  forsake  their  vicious  habits,  while 
Tecumseh  was  visiting  the  neighboring  tribes  and  quietly  strengthening  his 
own  and  the  Prophet's  influence  over  them.  The  events  of  the  early  part  of 
the  year  1810,  were  such  as  to  leave  but  little  doubt  of  the  hostile  intentions 
of  the  brothers ;  the  Prophet  was  apparently  the  most  prominent  actor,  while 
Tecumseh  was  in  reality  the  main  spring  of  all  the  movements,  backed,  it  is 
supposed,  by  the  insidious  influence  of  British  agents,  who  supplied  the  In- 
dians gratis  with  powder  and  ball,  in  anticipation,  perhaps,  of  hostilities  be- 
tween the  two  countries,  in  which  event  a  union  of  all  the  tribes  against  the 
Americans  was  desirable.  Tecumseh  had  opposed  the  sale  and  cession  of 
lands  to  the  United  States,  and  declared  it  to  be  his  unalterable  resolution  to 
take  a  stand  against  the  further  intrusion  of  the  whites  upon  the  soil  of  his 
people.  By  various  acts,  the  feelings  of  Tecumseh  became  more  and  more 
evident ;  in  August,  he  having  visited  Vincennes,  to  see  the  governor,  two 
successive  councils  were  held,  by  which  the  real  position  of  affairs  was  as- 
certained. 

The  undoubted  purpose  of  the  brothers  now  being  known,  Governor  Har- 
rison proceeded  to  prepare  for  the  contest  he  knew  must  ensue.  In  June  of 
the  year  following  (1811),  he  sent  a  message  to  the  Shawanees,  bidding  them 
beware  of  hostilities,  to  which  Tecumseh  gave  a  brief  reply,  promising  to 
visit  the  governor.  This  visit  he  paid  in  July,  accompanied  by  three  hundred 
followers. 

This  council  proving  unsatisfactory,  and  Tecumseh  soon  after  going  south 
among  the  Creeks  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  extending  his  confederacy,  the 
people  of  Indiana  became  greatly  alarmed,  and  Governor  Harrison  therefore 
took  measures  to  increase  his  regular  force.  His  plan  was  to  again  warn  the 
Indians  to  obey  the  treaty  of  Greenville,  but,  at  the  same  time  prepare  to 
break  up  the  Prophet's  establishment  if  necessary.  In  September,  the  Prophet 
sent  assurances  to  the  Governor  that  his  intentions  were  pacific.  About  the 
same  time,  he  dispatched  a  message  to  the  Delawares,  who  were  friendly, 
to  join  him  in  a  war  against  the  United  States,  stating  that  he  had  taken  up 
the  tomahawk,  and  would  not  lay  it  down  but  with  his  life,  unless  their 
wrongs  were  redressed.  The  Delaware  chiefs  immediately  visited  the  Prophet 
to  dissuade  him  from  commencing  hostilities;  and  were  grossly  insulted.  On 
the  6th  of  November,  1811,  Governor  Harrison,  with  about  nine  hundred  and 
fifty  effective  troops,  composed  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  4th  Regiment 
U.  S.  Infantry,  one  hundred  and  thirty  volunteers,  and  a  body  of  militia, 
being  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  Prophet's  town,  was  urged  to  make  an 
immediate  assault  upon  the  village ;  but  this  he  declined,  as  his  instructions 
from  the  President  were  positive  not  to  attack  the  Indians  as  long  as  there 
was  a  probability  of  their  complying  with  the  demands  of  government.  The 
Indians,  in  the  course  of  the  clay,  endeavored  to  cut  off  his  messengers  and 


244  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

evinced  other  hostile  symptoms,  which  determined  Harrison  to  march  at  once 
upon  the  town,  when  he  was  met  by  three  Indians,  one  of  them  a  principal 
counselor  of  the  Prophet,  who  stated  that  the  Prophet's  intentions  were  pa- 
cific.  Accordingly,  a  suspension  of  hostilities  was  agreed  upon,  and  the 
terms  of  peace  were  to  be  settled  the  following  morning  by  the  governor  and 
his  chiefs.  At  night,  the  army  encamped  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  from 
the  Prophet's  town. 

Battle  of  Tippecanoe. — The  governor  was  perfectly  convinced  of  the  hos- 
tility or'  the  Prophet.  He  believed  that  they  intended  to  attack  him  by 
treachery,  after  having  first  lulled  his  suspicions  by  a  pretended  treaty,  which 
had,  indeed,  been  their  original  intention.  No  one  anticipated  an  attack  that 
night,  yet  every  precaution  was  taken  to  resist  one  if  made.  All  the  guards 
that  could  be  used  in  such  a  situation,  and  all  such  as  were  used  by  Wayne, 
were  employed  on  this  occasion.  That  is,  camp  guards,  furnishing  a  chain 
of  sentinels  around  the  whole  camp,  at  such  a  distance  as  to  give  notice  of 
the  approach  of  an  enemy  in  time  for  the  troops  to  take  their  position,  and 
yet  not  far  enough  to  prevent  the  sentinels  from  retreating  to  the  main  body 
if  overpowered.  The  usual  mode  in  civilized  warfare  of  stationing  picquet- 
guards  at  a  considerable  distance  in  advance  of  an  army  leading  to  it,  would 
be  useless  in  Indian  warfare,  as  they  do  not  require  roads  to  march  upon,  and 
such  guards  would  always  be  cut  off.  Orders  were  given  in  the  event  of  a 
night  attack,  for  each  corps  to  maintain  its- position,  at  all  hazards,  until  re- 
lieved or  further  orders  were  given  to  it.  The  whole  army  was  kept  during 
the  night,  in  the  military  position  which  is  called,  lying  on  their  arms.  The 
regular  troops  lay  in  their  tents,  with  their  accouterments  on,  and  their  arms 
by  their  sides.  The  militia  had  no  tents,  but  slept  with  their  clothes  and 
pouches  on,  and  their  guns  under  them,  to  keep  them  dry.  The  order  of  the 
encampment  was  the  order  of  battle,  for  a  night  attack ;  and  as  every  man 
slept  opposite  to  his  post  in  the  line,  there  was  nothing  for  the  troops  to  do, 
in  case  of  an  assault,  but  to  rise  and  take  their  position  a  few  steps  in  the 
rear  of  the  fires  around  which  they  had  reposed.  The  guard  of  the  night 
consisted  of  two  captains'  commands  of  forty-two  men,  and  four  non-com- 
missioned officers  each;  and  two  subalterns'  guards  of  twenty  men  and 
non-commissioned  officers  each — the  whole  amounting  to  about  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  men,  under  the  command  of  a  field  officer  of  the  day — 
The  night  was  dark  and  cloudy,  and  after  midnight  there  was  a  drizzling 
rain. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  7th,  Governor  Harrison,  according  to 
practice,  had  risen,  preparatory  to  the  calling  up  the  troops ;  and  was  engaged, 
while  drawing  on  his  toots  by  the  fire,  in  conversation  with  General  Wells, 
Colonel  Owen,  and  Majors  Taylor  aud  Hurst.  The  orderly-drum  had  been 
roused  for  the  purpose  of  giving  the  signal  for  the  troops  to  turn  out,  when 
the  attack  of  (he  Indians  suddenly  commenced  upon  the  left  flank  of  the  camp. 
The  whole  army  was  instantly  on  its  feet;  the  camp-fires  were  extinguished; 
the  governor  mounted  his  horse  and  proceeded  to  the  point  of  attack.  Several 
of  the  companies  had  taken  their  places  in  the  line  within  forty  seconds  from 
the  report  of  the  first  gun ;  and  the  whole  of  the  troops  were  prepared  for  ac- 
tion in  the  course  of  two  minutes;  a  fact  as  creditable  to  their  own  activity 
and  bravery,  as  to  the  skill  and  Energy  of  their  officers.  The  battle  soon  be- 
came general,  and  was  maintained  on  both  sides  with  signal  and  even  des- 
perate valor.  The  Indians  advanced  and  retreated  by  the  aid  of  a  rattling 
noise,  made  with  deer  hoofs,  and  persevered  in  their  treacherous  attack  with 
an  apparent  determination  to  conquer  or  die  upon  the  spot.  The  battle  raged 
with  unabated  fury  and  mutual  slaughter,  until  daylight,  when  a  gallant  and 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  245 

successful  charge  by  the  troops,  drove  the  enemy  into  the  swamp,  and  put  an 
end  to  the  conflict. 

Prior  to  the  assault,  the  Prophet  had  given  assurances  to  his  followers,  that 
in  the  coming  contest,  the  Great  Spirit  would  render  the  arms  of  the  Ameri- 
cans unavailing;  that  their  bullets  would  fall  harmless  at  the  feet  of  the  In- 
dians; that  the  latter  should  have  light  in  abundance,  while  the  former 
would  be  involved  in  thick  darkness.  Availing  himself  of  the  privilege  con- 
ferred by  his  peculiar  office,  and,  perhaps,  unwilling  in  his  own  person  to  at- 
test at  once  the  rival  powers  of  a  sham  prophesy  and  a  real  American  bullet, 
he  prudently  took  a  position  on  an  adjacent  eminence ;  and,  when  the  action 
began,  he  entered  upon  the  performance  of  certain  mystic  rites,  at  the  same 
time  singing  a  war-song.  In  the  course  of  the  engagement,  he  was  informed 
that  his  men  were  falling :  he  told  them  to  fight  on, — it  would  soon  be  as  he 
had  predicted ;  and  then,  in  louder  and  wilder  strains,  his  inspiring  battlo- 
song  was  heard  commingling  with  the  sharp  crack  of  the  rifle  and  the  shrill 
war-whoop  of  his  brave  but  deluded  followers. 

Throughout  the  action,  the  Indians  manifested  more  boldness  and  perse- 
verance than  had,  perhaps,  ever  been  exhibited  by  them  on  any  former  occa- 
sion. This  was  owing,  it  is  supposed,  to  the  influence  of  the  Prophet,  who 
by  the  aid  of  his  incantations,  had  inspired  them  with  a  belief  that  they  would 
certainly  overcome  their  enemy:  the  supposition,  likewise,  that  they  had 
taken  the  governor's  army  by  surprise,  doubtless  contributed  to  the  desperate 
character  of  their  assaults.  They  were  commanded  by  some  daring  chiefs, 
and  although  their  spiritual  leader  was  not  actually  in  the  battle,  he  did  much 
to  encourage  his  followers  in  their  gallant  attack.  Some  of  the  Indians  who 
were  in  the  action,  subsequently  informed  the  agent  at  Fort  Wayne,  that  there 
were  more  than  a  thousand  warriors  in  the  battle,  and  that  the  number  of 
wounded  was  unusually  great.  In  the  precipitation  of  their  -retreat,  they  left 
thirty-eight  on  the  field ;  some  were  buried  during  the  engagement  in  their 
town,  others  no  doubt  died  subsequently  of  their  wounds.  The  whole  number 
of  their  killed  was  probably  not  less  than  fifty. 

Of  the  army  under  Governor  Harrison,  thirty-five  were  killed  in  the  action, 
and  twenty-five  died  subsequently  of  their  wounds :  the  total  number  of  killed 
and  wounded  was  one  hundred  and  eighty-eight.  Among  the  former,  were 
the  lamented  Colonel  Abraham  Owen  and  Major  Joseph  Hamilton  Davies,  of 
Kentucky. 

Both  officers  and  men  behaved  with  much  coolness  and  bravery, — qualities 
which,  in  an  eminent  degree,  marked  the  conduct  of  Governor  Harrison 
throughout  the  engagement.  The  peril  to  which  he  was  subjected  may  be 
inferred  from  the  fact  that  a  ball  passed  through  his  stock,  slightly  bruising 
his  neck;  another  struck  his  saddle,  and  glancing,  hit  his  thigh;  and  a  third 
wounded  the  horse  on  which  he  was  riding. 

Peace  on  the  frontiers  was  one  of  the  happy  results  of  this  severe  and  bril- 
liant action.  The  tribes  which  had  already  joined  in  the  confederacy  were 
dismayed  ;  and  those  which  nad  remained  neutral,  now  decided  against  it. 

The  victorious  army,  in  the  two  succeeding  days,  burnt  the  Prophet's  town. 

and  destroyed  the  crops.     Tecumseh,  shortly  after  returning  from  the  sout$ 

was  deeply  mortified  at  the  result  of  the  battle.     His  brother,  the   Prophet, 

|  who  lost  by  this  battle  his  popularity  and  power  among  the  Indians,  was  re- 

i  preached  by  him,  in  bitter  terms,  for  having  departed  from  his  positive  com- 

j  mands  in  then  engaging  in  hostilities  against  the  United  States.     Tecumseh 

j  was  not,  at  that  time,  prepared  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  schemes  against 

|  the  Americans,  but  in  the  war  that  ensued  the  next  year  with  Great  Britain, 

the  nature  of  his  ulterior  objects  were  well  defined 


246  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

On  the  first  commencement  of  the  war  of  1812,  Tecumseh  was  in  the  field, 
prepared  for  the  conflict.  In  July,  there  was  an  assemblage  at  Brownstown 
of  those  Indians  who  were  inclined  to  neutrality.  A  deputation  was  sent  to 
Maiden  to  Tecumseh  to  attend  this  council.  "  No,"  said  he  indignantly,  "  I 
have  taken  sides  with  the  king,  my  father,  and  I  will  suffer  my  bones  to 
bleach  upon  this  shore,  before  I  will  recross  that  stream  to  join  in  any  coun- 
cil of  neutrality."  He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Brownstown,  and  com- 
manded the  Indians  in  the  action  near  Maguaga.  In  the  last,  he  was  wounded, 
and  it  is  supposed  that  his  bravery  and  good  conduct  led  to  his  being  shortly 
after  appointed  Brigadier-General  in  the  service  of  the  British  King.  In  the 
siege  of  Fort  Meigs,  Tecumseh  behaved  with  great  bravery  and  humanity. 

Immediately  after  the  signal  defeat  of  Proctor,  at  Fort  Stephenson,  he  re- 
turned with  the  British  troops  to  Maiden  by  water,  while  Tecumseh,  with 
his  followers,  passed  over  by  land,  round  the  head  of  Lake  Erie,  and  joined 
him  at  that  point.  Discouraged  by  the  want  of  success,  and  having  lost  all 
confidence  in  General  Proctor,  Tecumseh  seriously  meditated  a  withdrawal 
from  the  contest,  but  was  induced  to  remain. 

When  Perry's  battle  was  fought,  it  was  witnessed  by  the  Indians  from  the 
distant  shore.  On  the  day  succeeding  the  engagement,  General  Proctor  said 
to  Tecumseh,  "  My  fleet  has  whipped  the  Americans,  but  the  vessels  being 
much  injured,  have  gone  into  Put-in  Bay  to  refit,  and  will  be  here  in  a  few 
days."  This  deception,  however,  upon  the  Indians  was  not  of  long  duration. 
The  sagacious  eye  of  Tecumseh  soon  perceived  indications  of  a  retreat  from 
Maiden,  and  he  promptly  inquired  into  the  matter.  General  Proctor  informed 
him  that  he  was  only  going  to  send  their  valuable  property  up  the  Thames, 
where  it  would  meet  a  reinforcement,  and  be  safe.  Tecumseh,  however,  was 
not  to  be  deceived  by  this  shallow  device :  and  remonstrated  most  urgently 
against  a  retreat.  He  finally  demanded,  in  the  name  of  all  the  Indians  under 
his  command,  to  be  heard  by  the  general,  and,  on  the  18lh  of  September,  de- 
livered to  him,  as  the  representative  of  their  great  father,  the  king,  the  fol- 
lowing speech : 

Father,  listen  to  your  children  !  you  have  them  now  all  before  you.  The  war  before  this,  our 
British  father  gave  the  hatchet  to  his  red  children,  when  our  old  chiefs  were  alive.  They  are  now 
dead.  In  that  war  our  father  was  thrown  on  his  back  by  the  Americans  ;  and  our  father  took  them 
by  the  hand  without  our  knowledge  ;  and  we  are  afraid  that  our  father  will  do  so  again  at  this 
time.  Summer  before  last,  when  I  came  forward  with  my  red  brethren  and  was  ready  to  take  up 
the  hatchet  in  favor  of  our  British  father,  we  were  told  not  to  be  in  a  hurry,  that  he  had  not  yet 
determined  to  fight  the  Americans.  Listen  !  when  war  was  declared,  our  father  stood  up  and  gave 
us  the  tomahawk,  and  told  us  that  he  was  then  ready  to  strike  the  Americans  ;  that  he  wanted  our 
assistance,  and  that  he  would  certainly  get  our  lands  back,  which  the  Americans  had  taken  from 
us.  Listen  !  you  told  us  at  that  time,  to  bring  forward  our  families  to  this  place,  and  we  did  so  ; 
and  you  promised  to  take  care  of  them,  and  they  should  want  for  nothing,  while  the  men  would 
go  and  fight  the  enemy  ;  that  we  need  not  trouble  ourselves  about  the  enemy's  garrisons  ;  that  we 
knew  nothing  about  them,  and  that  our  father  would  attend  to  that  part  of  the  business.  You  also 
told  your  red  children  that  you  would  take  good  care  of  your  garrison  here,  which  made  our  hearts 
glad.  Listen  !  when  we  were  last  at  the  Rapids,  it  is  true,  we  gave  you  little  assistance.  It  is  hard 
to  fight  people  who  live  like  ground-hogs.  Father,  listen  !  our  fleet  has  gone  out  ;  we  know  they 
have  fought ;  we  have  heard  the  great  guns  ;  but  we  know  nothing  of  what  has  happened  to  oui 
father  [Commodore  Barclay,]  with  one  arm. 

Our  chips  have  gone  one  way,  and  we  are  much  astonished  to  see  our  father  tying  up  everything  and 
preparing  to  run  away  the  other,  without  letting  his  red  children  know  what  his  intentions  arc. 
You  always  told  us  to  remain  here  and  take  care  of  our  lands ;  it  made  our  hearts  glad  to  hear  that 
was  your  wish.  Our  great  father,  the  king,  is  the  head,  and  yon  represent  him.  You  always  told 
us  you  would  never  draw  your  foot  off  British  ground  ;  but  now,  father,  we  see  that  yon  are  draw- 
ing buck,  and  we  are  sorry  to  see  our  father  doing  so  without  seeing  the  enemy.  We  must  com- 
pare our  father's  conduct  to  a  fat  dog,  that  carries  his  tail  on  its  hack,  but  when  affrighted,  drops  it 
between  its  legs  and  runs  off*.  Father,  listen!  the  Americans  have  not  yet  defeated  us  by  land  ; 
neither  are  we  sure  that  they  have  done  to  by  water  ;  we,  therefore,  wish  to  remain  here  and  fight 
our  enemy,  should  they  make  their  appearance.  If  they  defeat  us,  we  will  then  retreat  with  our 
father.  At  the  battle  of  the  Rapids,  last  war,  the  Americans  certainly  defeated  us  ;  and  when  we 
returned  to  our  father's  fort  at  that  place,  the  gates  were  shut  against  us.  We  were  afraid  that  it 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  247 

would  now  be  the  case  ;  but  instead  of  that,  we  now  see  our  British  father  preparing  to  march  out 
of  his  garrison.  Father,  you  have  got  the  arms  and  ammunition  which  our  great  father  »ent  for 
his  red  children.  If  you  have  an  idea  of  going  away,  give  them  to  us,  and  you  may  go  and  wel- 
come, for  us.  Our  lives  are  in  the  hands  of  the  Great  Spirit.  We  are  determined  to  defend  our 
lands,  and  if  it  be  his  will,  we  wish  to  leave  our  bones  upon  them. 

Tecumseh  entered  the  battle  of  the  Thames  with  a  strong  conviction  that 
he  should  not  survive  it.  Further  flight  he  deemed  disgraceful,  while  the 
hope  of  victory  in  the  impending  action,  was  feeble  and  distant.  He,  how- 
ever, heroically  resolved  to  achieve  the  latter  or  die  in  the  effort.  With  this 
determination,  he  took  his  stand  among  his  followers,  raised  the  war-cry  and 
boldly  met  the  enemy.  From  the  commencement  of  the  attack  on  the  Indian 
line,  his  voice  was  distinctly  heard  by  his  followers,  animating  them  to  deeds 
worthy  of  the  race  to  which  they  belonged.  When  that  well-known  voice 
was  heard  no  longer  above  the  din  of  arms,  the  battle  ceased.  The  British 
troops  having  already  surrendered,  and  the  gallant  leader  of  the  Indians  hav- 
ing tallen,  they  gave  up  the  contest  and  fled.  A  short  distance  from  where* 
Tecumseh  fell,  the  body  of  his  friend  and  brother-in-law,  Wasegoboah,  was 
found.  They  had  often  fought  side  by  side,  and  now,  in  front  of  their  men, 
bravely  battling  the  enemy,  they,  side  by  side,  closed  their  mortal  career. 

Thus  fell  the  Indian  warrior  Tecumseh,  in  the  44th  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  of  the  Shawanee  tribe,  five  feet  ten  inches  high,  and  with  more  than  the 
usual  stoutness,  possessed  all  the  agility  and  perseverance  of  the  Indian  char- 
acter. His  carriage  was  dignified,  his  eye  penetrating,  his  countenance, 
which  even  in  death,  betrayed  the  indications  of  a  lofty  spirit,  rather  of  a 
sterner  cast.  Had  he  not  possessed  a  certain  austerity  of  manners,  he  could 
never  have  controlled  the  wayward  passions  of  those  who  followed  him  to 
battle.  He  was  of  a  silent  habit ;  but  when  his  eloquence  became  roused 
into  action  by  the  reiterated  encroachments  of  the  Americans,  his  strong  in- 
tellect could  supply  him  with  a  flow  of  oratory  that  enabled  him,  as  he  gov- 
erned in  the  field,  so  to  prescribe  in  the  council. 


KENTUCKY  SPORTS. 

WE  have  individuals  in  Kentucky,  that  even  there,  are  considered  wonder- 
ful adepts  in  the  management  of  the  rifle.  Having  resided  some  years  in 
Kentucky,  and  having  more  than  once  been  witness  of  rifle  sport,  I  shall 
present  the  results  of  my  observation,  leaving  the  reader  to  judge  how  far 
rifle  shooting  is  understood  in  that  State. 

Several  individuals  who  conceive  themselves  adepts  in  the  management  of 
the  rifle,  are  often  seen  to  meet  for  the  purpose  of  displaying  their  skill;  and 
betting  a  trifling  sum,  put  up  a  target,  in  the  center  of  which,  a  common  sized 
nail  is  hammered  for  about  two-thirds  its  length.  The  marksman  makes 
choice  of  what  they  consider  a  proper  distance,  and  which  may  be  forty 
paces.  Each  man  cleans  the  interior  of  his  tube,  which  is  called  wiping  it, 
places  a  ball  in  the  palm  of  his  hand,  pouring  as  much  powder  from  his  horn 
as  will  cover  it.  This  quantity  is  supposed  to  be  sufficient  for  any  distance 
short  of  a  hundred  yards.  A  shot  which  comes  very  close  to  the  nail  is 
considered  that  of  an  indifferent  marksman;  the  bending  of  the  nail  is  of 
course  somewhat  better;  but  nothing  less  than  hitting  it  right  on  the  head  is 
satisfactory.  One  out  of  the  three  shots  generally  hits  the  nail;  and  should 
the  shooters  amount  to  half-a-dozen,  two  nails  are  frequently  needed  before 
each  can  have  a  shot.  Those  who  drive  the  nail  have  a  further  trial  among 
themselves,  and  the  two  best  shots  out  of  these,  generally  settles  the  affair, 
when  all  the  sportsmen  adjourn  to  some  house,  and  spend  an  hour  or  two  in 
31 


248  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

friendly  intercourse,  appointing  before  they  part,  a  day  for  another  trial 
This  is  technically  termed,  "driving  the  nail." 

Barking  of  squirrels  is  delightful  sport,  and  in  my  opinion,  requires  a 
greater  degree  of  accuracy  than  any  other.  I  first  witnessed  this  manner  of 
procuring  squirrels,  while  near  the  town  of  Frankfort.  The  performer  was 
the  celebrated  Daniel  Boone.  We  walked  out  together  and  followed  the 
rocky  margins  of  the  Kentucky  river,  until  we  reached  a  piece  of  flat  land, 
thickly  covered  with  black  walnuts,  oaks,  and  hickories.  As  the  general 
mast  was  a  good. one  that  year,  squirrels  were  seen  gamboling  on  every  tree 
around  us.  My  companion,  a  stout,  hale,  athletic  man,  dressed  in  a  home- 
spun hunting-shirt,  bare  legged  and  moccasined,  carried  a  long  and  heavy 
rifle,  which,  as  he  was  loading  it,  he  said  had  proved  efficient  in  all  of  his 
former  undertakings,  and  which  he  hoped  would  not  fail  on  this  occasion,  as 
he  felt  proud  to  show  me  his  skill.  The  gun  was  wiped,  the  powder  measured, 
the  ball  patched  with  six  hundred  thread  linen,  and  a  charge  sent  home  with 
a  hickory  rod.  We  moved  not  a  step  from  t'le  place,  for  the  squirrels  were 
so  thick  that  it  was  unnecessary  to  go  after  them.  Boone  pointed  to  one  of 
these  animals,  which  had  observed  us,  and  was  crouched  on  a  bank  about 
fifty  paces  distant,  and  bade  me  mark  well  where  the  ball  should  hit.  He 
raised  his  piece  gradually  until  the  bead  or  sight  of  the  barrel  was  brought  to 
a  line  with  the  spot  he  intended  to  hit.  The  whiplike  report  resounded 
through  the  woods  and  along  the  hills  in  repeated  echoes.  Judge  of  my 
surprise,  when  I  perceived  that  the  ball  had  hit  the  piece  of  bark  immediately 
underneath  the  squirrel  and  shivered  it  into  splinters;  the  concussion  pro- 
duced by  which,  had  killed  the  animal  and  sent  it  whirling  through  the  air, 
as  if  it  had  been  blown  up  by  the  explosion  of  a  powder  magazine.  Boone 
kept  up  his  firing,  and  before  many  hours  had  elapsed,  we  had  procured  as 
many  squirrels  as  we  wished.  Since  that  first  interview  with  the  veteran 
Boone,  I  have  seen  many  other  individuals  perform  the  same  feat. 

The  snuffing  of  a  candle  with  a  ball,  I  first  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
near  the  banks  of  Green  River,  not  far  from  a  large  pigeon  roost,  to  which  I 
had  previously  made  a  visit.  I  had  heard  many  reports  of  guns  during  the 
early  part  of  a  dark  night,  and  knowing  them  to  be  those  of  rifles,  I  went 
forward  toward  the  spot  to  ascertain  the  cause.  On  reaching  the  place  I  was 
welcomed  by  a  dozen  tall,  stout  men,  who  told  me  they  were  exercising  for 
the  purpose  of  enabling  them  to  shoot  under  night,  at  the  reflected  light  from 
the  eyes  of  a  deer  or  wolf  by  torchlight.  A  fire  was  blazing  near,  the  smoke 
of  which  rose  curling  among  the  thick  foliage  of  the  trees.  At  a  distance 
which  rendered  it  scarcely  distinguishable,  stood  a  burning  candle,  but  which, 
in  reality,  was  only  fifty  yards  from  the  spot  on  which  we  all  stood.  One 
man  was  within  a  few  yards  of  it  to  watch  the  effect  of  the  shots,  as  well  as 
to  light  the  candle  should  it  chance  to  go  out,  or  to  replace  it  should  the  shot 
cut  it  across.  Each  marksman  shot  in  his  turn.  Some  never  hit  either  the 
snuff  or  the  candle,  and  were  congratulated  with  a  loud  laugh;  while  others 
actually  snuffed  the  candle  without  putting  it  out,  and  were  recompensed 
for  their  dexterity  with  numerous  hurrahs.  One  of  them,  who  was  particu- 
larly Expert,  was  very  fortunate,  and  snuffed  the  candle  three  times  out  of 
seven,  while  all  the  other  shots  either  put  out  the  candle  or  cut  it  immediately 
under  the  light. 

Of  the  feats  performed  by  the  Kentuckians  with  the  rifle,  I  might  say  more 
than  might  be  xpedient  on  the  present  occasion.  By  way  of  recreation,  they 
often  cut  off  a  piecS  "of  the  bark  of  a  tree,  make  a  target  of  it,  using  a  little 
powder  -vetted  with  water  or  saliva,  for  the  bulls-eye,  and  shoot  into  the  mark 
all  th^  balls  they  have  about  them,  picking  them  out  of  the  wood  again. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC  249 


THE  WESTERN  BOATMEN.      * 

JUST  previous  to  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  after  the  settlements 
had  become  more  dense  on  the  Monongahela  and  on  the  Ohio,  a  new  class 
sprung  up  in  the  west  whose  life  was  unique.  This  was  the  class  of  boatmen. 
These  were  a  hardy,  fearless  set  of  men,  who  always  kept  just  in  advance  of 
civilization  and  luxury.  Many  of  them  at  first,  had  been  engaged  in  the 
border  wars  with  the  Indians,  were  bred  from  infancy  amid  dangers  and 
experienced  in  all  the  practices  and  arts  in  the  life  of  a  woodsman. 

The  boatmen  were  courageous,  athletic,  persevering,  and  patient  of  priva- 
tions. They  traversed  in  their  pirogues,  barges,  or  keels,  the  longest  rivers, 
penetrated  the  most  remote  wilderness  upon  their  watery  routes,  and  kept  up 
a  trade  and  intercourse  between  the  most  distant  points.  Accustomed  to 
every  species  of  exposure  and  privation,  they  despised  ease  and  luxury. 
Clothed  in  the  costume  of  the  wilderness,  and  armed  in  western  style,  they 
were  always  ready  to  exchange  the  labors  of  the  oar  for  offensive  or  defensive 
war.  Exposed  to  the  double  force  of  the  direct  and  reflected  rays  of  the  sun 
upon  the  water,  their  complexion  was  swarthy,  and  often  but  little  fairer  than 
the  Indians.  Often,  from  an  exposure  of  their  bodies  without  shirts,  their 
complexion,  from  the  head  to  the  waist,  was  the  same. 

Their  toils,  dangers,  and  exposure,  and  moving  accidents  of  their  long  and 
perilous  voyages,  were  measurably  hidden  from  the  inhabitants  who  contem- 
plated the  boats  floating  by  their  dwellings  on  beautiful  spring  mornings,  when 
the  verdant  forest,  the  mild  and  delicious  temperature  of  the  air,  the  delight- 
ful azure  of  the  sky,  the  fine  bottom  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  rolling  bluff  on 
the  other,  the  broad  and  smooth  stream  rolling  calmly  down  the  forest,  and 
floating  (he  boat  gently  forward,  present  delightful  images  to  the  beholders. 
At  such  times  there  was  no  visible  danger,  or  call  for  labor.  The  boat  took 
care  of  itself;  and  little  would  the  beholders  imagine,  how  different  a  scene 
might  have  been  presented  in  half-an-hour.  Meantime  one  of  the  hands 
scraped  a  violin,  and  others  danced.  Greetings  or  rude  defiances,  or  trials  of 
art.  or  proffers  of  love  to  the  girls  on  shore,  or  saucy  messages  were  scattered 
between  them  and  the  spectators  along  the  banks.  The  boat  glided  on  until 
it  disappeared  behind  a  point  of  wood.  At  that  moment,  perhaps,  the  bugle- 
\vith  which  all  boats  were  provided,  struck  up  its  notes  in  the  distance,  over 
the  water.  Those  scenes  and  those  notes,  echoing  from  the  bluffs  of  the 
beautiful  Ohio,  had  a  charm  for  the  imagination,  which,  although  heard  a 
thousand  times,  at  all  hours,  and  in  all  positions,  presented  to  even  the  most 
unromantic  spectator  the  image  of  a  tempting  and  charming  youthful  existence,, 
that  almost  inspired  in  his  breast  the  wish,  that  he  too  were  a  boatman. 

No  wonder  that  the  young,  who  were  reared  in  the  then  remote  regions  of 
the  west,  on  the  banks  of  the  great  stream,  with  that  restless  curiosity  which 
is  fostered  by  solitude  and  silence,  looked  upon  the  severe  and  unremitting 
labor  of  agriculture  as  irksome  and  tasteless  compared  to  such  a  life,  and  thafe 
they  embraced  every  opportunity,  either  openly  or  covertly  to  devote  them- 
selves to  an  employment  which  seemed  so  full  of  romance  to  their  youthful 
visions. 

Steam  had  not  exerted  its  magic  influence  on  the  western  waters,  and  the 
rich  cargoes  which  ascended  the  Mississippi  in  keel-boats  and  barges  were 
propelled  by  human  labor  for  nearly  two  thousand  miles,  slowly  advancing 
against  the 'strong  current  of  these  rivers.  The  boatmen,  with  their  bodies 
naked  to  the  waist,  spent  the  long  and  tedious  days  traversing  the  "running. 


250  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

board,"  and  pushing  with  their  whole  force  against  their  strong  setting-poles 
firmly  fixed  against  the  shoulder.  Thus,  with  their  heads  suspended  nearly 
to  the  track  on  the  running-board,  they  propelled  their  freighted  barge  up  the 
long  and  tedious  route  of  the  river.  After  a  hard  day's  toil,  at  night  they 
took  their  "fillee,"  or  ration  of  whisky,  swallowed  their  homely  supper  of 
meat  half  burned  and  bread  half  baked,  and  retiring  to  sleep,  they  stretched 
themselves  upon  the  deck,  without  covering,  under  the  open  canopy  of  heaven, 
or  probably  enveloped  in  a  blanket,  until  the  steersman's  horn  called  them  to 
their  morning  "fillee"  and  their  toil. 

Hard  and  fatiguing  was  the  life  of  a  boatman;  yet  it  was  rare  that  any  of 
them  ever  changed  his  vocation.  There  was  a  charm  in  the  excesses,  in  the 
frolics,  and  in  the  fightings  which  they  anticipated  at  the  end  of  the  voyage, 
which  cheered  them  on.  Of  weariness  none  would  complain;  but  rising 
from  his  hard  bed  by  the  first  dawn  of  day,  and  reanimated  by  his  morning 
draught,  he  was  prepared  to  hear  and  obey  the  wonted  order,  "  Stand  to  your 
poles  and  set  off!"  The  boatmen  were  masters  of  the  winding-horn  and  the 
fiddle,  and  as  the  boat  moved  off  from  her  moorings,  some,  to  cheer  their 
labors,  or  to  "scare  off  the  devil  and  secure  good  luck,"  would  wind  the 
animating  blast  of  the  horn,  which,  mingling  with  the  sweet  music  of  the 
fiddle,  and  reverberating  along  the  sounding  shores,  greeted  the  solitary  dwel- 
lers on  the  banks  with  news  from  New  Orleans. 

Their  athletic  labors  gave  strength  incredible  to  their  muscles,  which  they 
were  vain  to  exhibit,  and  fist-fighting  was  their  pastime.  He  who  could  boast 
that  he  had  never  been  whipped,  was  bound  to  fight  whoever  disputed  his 
manhood.  Keelboat-men  and  bargemen  looked  upon  raftsmen  and  flat-boat- 
men as  their  natural  enemies,  and  a  meeting  was  the  prelude  to  a  "  battle- 
royal."  They  were  great  sticklers  for  "fair  play,"  and  whosoever  was 
worsted  in  battle  must  abide  the  issue  without  assistance. 

Their  arrival  in  port  was  a  general  jubilee,  where  hundreds  often  met  to- 
gether for  diversion  and  frolic.  Their  assemblages  were  often  riotous  and 
lawless  to  extremes,  when  the  civil  authorities  were  defied  for  days  together. 
Had  their  numbers  increased  with  the  population  of  the  West,  they  would 
have  endangered  the  peace  of  the  country;  but  the  first  steamboat  that 
ascended  the  Ohio  sounded  their  death-knell,  and  they  have  been  buried  ir 
'the  tide,  never  more  to  rise. 

MIKE  FINK,  usually  called  "the  last  of  the  boatmen,"  was  a  fair  specimen 
-of  his  race.  Many  curious  anecdotes  are  related  of  him.  He  was  born  in 
Pittsburgh.  In  early  youth,  his  desire  to  become  a  boatman  was  a  ruling 
•passion  which  soon  had  its  gratification.  He  served  on  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi  Rivers  as  a  boatman,  until  thrown  out  of  employment  by  the  general 
•use  of  steamboats.  When  the  Ohio  was  too  low  for  navigation,  he  spent 
most  of  his  time  at  shooting  matches  in  the  neighborhood  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
soon  became  famous  as  the  best  shot  in  the  country.  On  that  account,  he 
was  called  bang  all,  and  hence,  frequently  excluded  from  participating  in 
matches  for  beef;  for  which  exclusion,  he  claimed  and  obtained  for  his  for- 
bearance, the  fifth  quarter  of  beef,  as  the  hide  and  tallow  are  called.  His 
•usual  practice  was  to  sell  his  fifth  quarter  to  the  tavern  keeper  for  whisky, 
with  which  he  treated  everybody  present,  partaking  largely  himself.  He  be- 
came fond  of  strong  drink,  and  could  partake  of  a  gallon  in  twenty-four  hours 
without  the  effect  being  perceivable. 

Mike's  weight  was  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds ;  height  about 
five  feet  nine  inches  ;  countenance  open ;  skin  tanned  by  sun  and  rain ;  form 
broad  and  very  muscular,  and  of  Herculean  strength  and  great  activity.  His 
language  was  of  the  half  horse  and  half  alligator  dialect  of  the  then  race  of 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  251 

boatmen.  He  was  also  a  wit,  and  on  that  account  he  gained  the  admiration 
and  excited  the  fears  of  all  the  fraternity  ;  for  he  usually  enforced  his  wit 
with  a  sound  drubbing,  if  any  one  dared  to  dissent  by  neglecting  or  refusing 
to  laugh  at  his  jokes;  for,  as  he  used  to  say,  he  cracked  his  jokes  on  purpose 
to  be  laughed  at  in  a  good  humored  way,  and  that  no  man  should  make  light 
of  them.  As  a  consequence,  Mike  had  always  around  him  a  chosen  band 
of  laughing  philosophers.  An  eye  bunged  op,  or  a  dilapidated  nose  or  ear, 
was  sure  to  win  Mike's  sympathy  and  favor,  for  he  made  proclamation  : — 
"  I'm  a  Salt  River  Roarer !  I'm  chuck  full  of  tight,  and  I  love  the  wimin," 
&c. ;  and  he  did,  for  he  had  a  sweetheart  in  every  port.  Among  his  chosen 
worshipers,  who  would  fight  their  death  for  him,  as  they  termed  it,  were 
Carpenter  and  Talbot.  Each  was  a  match  for  the  other  in  prowess,  in  fight 
or  skill  in  shooting,  having  each  been  under  Mike's  diligent  training. 

Mike,  at  one  time,  had  a  woman  who  passed  for  his  wife ;  whether  she 
was  truly  so,  we  do  not  know.  But  at  any  rate,  the  following  anecdote  is  a 
rare  instance  of  conjugal  discipline. 

Some  time  in  the  latter  part  of  autumn,  a  few  years  after  the  close  of  the 
late  war  with  Great  Britain,  several  keel-boats  landed  for  the  night,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Muskingum,  among  which  was  that  of  Mike's.  After  making 
all  fast,  Mike  was  observed,  just  under  the  bank,  scraping  into  a  heap,  the 
dried  beach  leaves,  which  had  been  blown  there  during  the  day,  having  just 
fallen,  from  the  effects  of  the  early  autumn  frosts.  To  all  questions,  as  to 
what  he  was  doing,  he  returned  no  answer,  but  continued  at  his  work,  until 
he  had  piled  them  up  as  high  as  his  head.  He  then  separated  them,  making 
a  sort  of  an  oblong  ring,  in  which  he  laid  down,  as  if  to  ascertain  whether 
it  was  a  good  bed  or  not.  Getting  up,  he  sauntered  on  board,  hunted  up  his 
rifle,  made  great  preparations  about  his  priming,  and  then  called  in  a  very  im- 
pressive manner  upon  his  wife  to  follow  him.  Both  proceeded  up  to  the  pile 
of  leaves,  poor  "  Peg"  in  a  terrible  flutter,  as  she  had  discovered  that  Mike 
was  in  no  very  amiable  humor. 

"Get  in  there  and  lie  down,"  was  the  command  to  Peg,  topped  off  with 
one  of  Mike's  very  choicest  oaths.  "Now,  Mr.  Fink," — she  always  mis- 
tered him  when  his  blood  was  up — "  what  have  I  done,  I  don't  know,  I'm 
sure —  " 

"  Get  in  there  and  lie  down,  or  I'll  shoot  you,"  with  another  oath,  and 
drawing  his  rifle  up  to  his  shoulder.  Poor  Peg  obeyed,  and  crawled  into  the 
leaf  pile,  and  Mike  covered  her  up  with  the  combustibles.  He  then  took  a 
flour  barrel  and  split  the  staves  into  fine  pieces,  and  lighted  them  at  the  fire 
on  board  the  boat,  all  the  time  watching  the  leaf  pile,  and  swearing  he  would 
shoot  Peg  if  she  moved.  So  soon  as  his  splinters  began  to  blaze,  he  took 
them  into  his  hand  and  deliberately  set  fire,  in  four  different  places,  to  the 
leaves  that  surrounded  his  wife.  In  an  instant,  the  whole  mass  was  on  fire, 
aided  by  a  fresh  wind,  which  was  blowing  at  the  time,  while  Mike  was 
quietly  standing  by  enjoying  the  fun.  Peg,  through  fear  of  Mike,  stood  it 
as  long  as  she  could  ;  but  it  soon  became  too  hot,  and  she  made  a  run  for  the 
river,  her  hair  and  clothing  all  on  fire.  In  a  few  seconds  she  reached  the 
water  and  plunged  in,  rejoiced  to  know  she  had  escaped  both  fire  and  rifle  so 
well.  "There,"  said  Mike,  "that'll  larn  you  not  to  be  winkin'  at  them 
rellers  on  t'other  boat." 

Mike  first  visited  St.  Louis  as  a  keel-boatman,  in  1814  or  '15.  Among 
his  shooting  feats,  the  following  are  related  by  eye  witnesses.  In  ascending 
the  Mississippi  above  the  Ohio,  he  saw  a  sow  with  a  couple  of  pigs,  about  one 
hundred  feet  distant  on  the  river  bank.  He  declared,  in  boatman  phrase,  he 
wanted  a  pig,  and  took  up  his  rifle  to  shoot  one,  but  was  requested  not  to  do 


252  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

so.  He,  however,  laid  his  rifle  to  nis  face,  and  as  the  boat  glided  along 
under  easy  sail,  he  successively  shot  off  the  tail  of  each  of  them,  close  to 
the  rump,  without  doing  them  any  other  harm.  Being,  on  one  occasion,  in 
his  boat  at  the  St.  Louis  landing,  he  saw  a  negro  standing  on  the  river  bank, 
gazing  in  wonder  at  the  show  about  him.  Mike  took  up  his  rifle  and  shot 
off  the  poor  fellow's  heel.  He  fell  badly  wounded,  and  crying  murder. 
Mike  was  arrested  and  tried  in  the  County  court,  and  found  guilty  by  a  jury. 
His  justification  of  the  offense  was,  that  the  fellow's  heel  projected  too  far 
behind,  preventing  him  from  wearing  a  genteel  boot,  and  he  wished  to  correct 
the  defect.  His  particular  friend,  Carpenter,  was  also  a  great  shot.  Carpen- 
ter and  Mike  used  to  fill  a  tin-cup  with  whisky,  and  place  it  by  turns  on 
each  others'  heads,  and  shoot  at  it  with  a  rifle,  at  the  distance  of  seventy 
yards.  It  was  always  bored  through  without  injury  to  the  one  on  whose 
head  it  was  placed.  This  feat  is  too  well  authenticated  to  admit  of  question. 
It  was  often  performed ;  and  they  liked  the  feat  the  better  because  it  showed 
their  confidence  in  each  other. 

In  1822,  Mike  and  his  two  friends,  Carpenter  and  Talbot,  engaged  in  St, 
Louis  with  Henry  and  Ashley,  to  go  up  the  Missouri  with  them,  in  the  three- 
fold  capacity  of  boatmen,  trappers  and  hunters.  The  first  year,  a  company 
of  about  sixty  ascended  as  high  as  the  mouth  of  Yellow  Stone  River,  where 
they  built  a  fort  for  the  purposes  of  trade  and  security.  From  this  place, 
small  detachments  of  men,  ten  or  twelve  in  a  company,  were  sent  out  to  hunt 
and  trap  on  the  tributary  streams  of  the  Missouri  and  the  Yellow  Stone. 
When  winter  set  in,  Mike  and  his  company  returned  to  a  place  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Yellow  Stone ;  and  preferring  to  remain  out  of  the  fort,  they 
dug  a  hole  or  cave,  in  the  bluff  bank  of  the  river,  in  which  they  resided  dur- 
ing the  winter,  which  proved  a  warm  and  commodious  habitation,  protecting 
them  from  the  winds  and  the  snows.  Here  Mike  and  his  friend  Carpenter 
had  a  deadly  quarrel,  supposed  to  have  been  caused  by  a  rivalry  in  the  good 
graces  of  a  squaw.  It  was  for  awhile,  smothered  by  the  interposition  of 
friends. 

On  the  return  of  spring,  the  party  revisited  the  fort,  where  Mike  and  Car- 
penter, over  a  cup  of  whisky,  revived  the  recollection  of  their  past  quarrel ; 
but  made  a  treaty  of  peace,  which  was  to  be  solemnized  by  their  usual  trial 
of  shooting  the  cup  of  whisky  off  each  others'  heads.  To  determine  who 
should  have  the  first  shot,  Mike  proposed  that  they  should  "  sky  (toss  up)  a 
copper,"  which  was  done,  and  resulted  in  Mike's  favor.  Carpenter  seemed 
to  be  aware  of  Mike's  unforgiving,  treacherous  disposition  ;  but  scorning  to 
save  his  life  by  refusing  to  fulfill  his  contract,  he  prepared  for  death,  and  be- 
queathed his  gun,  shot-pouch,  powder  horn,  belt,  pistols  and  wages,  to 
Talbot.*  Without  changing  a  feature,  Carpenter  filled  the  cup  with  whisky 
to  the  brim.  Mike  loaded,  picked  the  flint,  and  leveled  his  rifle  at  the  head 
of  Carpenter,  at  the  distance  of  sixty  yards.  After  drawing  the  bead,  he 
took  down  his  rifle  from  his  face,  and  smilingly,  said  : 

"Hold  your  noddle  steady,  Carpenter!  Don't  spill  the  whisky— I  shall 
want  some  presently." 

He  again  raised,  cocked  his  piece,  and  in  an  instant,  Carpenter  fell,  and  ex- 
pired without  a  groan.  Mike's  ball  had  penetrated  precisely  through  the 
center  of  his  forehead.  He  coolly  set  down  his  rifle,  and  applying  the  muzzle 
to  his  mouth,  blew  the  smoke  out  of  the  touch  hole,  without  saying  a  word, 

*  That  subtils  courtier,  Talleyrand,  remarked,  "  that  every  man  has  his  price;"  and  this  libel  upon 
mankind,  IUH  been  repeated  with  a  gusto,  a  thousand  times  by  corrupt  men  ;  but  here  we  see  a 
desperado  yielding  up  his  life,  to  him,  the  most  valuable  of  all  possessions,  on  a  mere  point  of 
etiquette. 


FEAT  OF  MIKE  FINK. 

"  Carpenter  and  Mike  used  to  fill  a  tin-cup  with  whisky  and  place 
it  by  turns  on  each  other's  heads  and  shoot  at  it,  with  a  rifle,  at 
the  distance  of  seventy  yards.  It  was  always  bored  through  without 
injury  to  the  one  on  whose  head  it  was  placed." 


- 


- 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  255 

Keeping  his  eye  steadily  on  the  fallen  body  of  Carpenter.  His  first  words 
were : 

"  Carpenter!  have  you  spilt  the  whisky !"  He  was  then  told  he  had  killed 
him.  "  It  is  all  an  accident !"  rejoined  Mike,  "  for  I  took  as  fair  a  bead  on 
the  black  spot  on  the  cup,  as  ever  I  took  on  a  squirrel's  eye.  How  did  it 
happen?"  He  then  cursed  the  gun,  the  powder,  the  bullet,  and  finally, 
himself. 

This  catastrophe,  in  a  country  where  the  strong  arm  of  the  law  could  not 
reach,  passed  off  for  an  accident.  Talbot  determined  to  revenge  the  death 
of  his  friend.  No  opportunity  offered  for  some  months  after,  until  one  day 
Mike,  in  a  fit  of  gasconading,  declared  that  he  had  purposely  killed  Carpen- 
ter, and  was  glad  of  it.  Talbot  instantly  drew  from  his  belt  a  pistol,  be- 
queathed by  Carpenter,  and  shot  Mike  through  the  heart :  he  fell,  and  ex- 
pired without  a  word.  Talbot  also  went  unpunished,  as  nobody  had  au- 
thority or  inclination  to  call  him  to  account.  In  truth,  he  was  as  ferocious 
and  dangerous  as  the  grizzly  bear  of  the  prairies,  and  soon  after  perished  in 
attempting  to  swim  a  river. 


INDIAN  WARFARE. 

THIS  is  a  subject  which  presents  human  nature  in  its  most  revolting  fea- 
tures, as  subject  to  a  vindictive  spirit  of  revenge,  and  a  thirst  of  human  blood, 
leading  to  an  indiscriminate  slaughter  of  all  ranks,  ages,  and  sexes,  by  the 
weapons  of  war,  or  by  torture.  The  history  of  man  is.,  for  the  most  part, 
one  continued  detail  of  bloodshed,  battles,  and  devastations.  War  has  been, 
from  the  earliest  periods  of  history,  the  almost  constant  employment  of  indi- 
viduals, clans,  tribes,  and  nations. 

If  the  modern  European  laws  of  warfare  have  softened,  in  some  degree,  the 
horrid  features  of  national  conflicts,  by  respecting  the  rights  of  private  pro- 
perty, and  extending  humanity  to  the  sick,  wounded,  and  prisoners ;  we  ought 
to  reflect  that  this  amelioration  is  the  effect  of  civilization  only.  The  natural 
state  of  war  knows  no  such  mixture  of  mercy  with  cruelty.  In  his  primitive 
state,  man  knows  no  object  in  his  wars,  but  that  of  the  extermination  of  his 
enemies,  either  by  death  or  captivity.  The  wars  of  the  Jews  were  extermina- 
tory in  their  object.  The  destruction  of  a  whole  nation  was  often  the  result 
of  a  single  campaign.  Even  the  beasts  themselves  were  sometimes  included 
in  the  general  massacre. 

It  is,  to  be  sure,  much  to  be  regretted,  that  our  people  so  often  followed  the 
cruel  examples  of  the  Indians,  in  the  slaughter  of  prisoners,  and  sometimes 
women  and  children;  yet  let  them  receive  a  candid  hearing  at  the  bar  of 
reason  and  justice,  before  they  are  condemned  as  barbarians  equally  with  the 
Indians  themselves.  History  scarcely  presents  an  example  of  a  civilized 
nation  carrying  on  a  war  with  barbarians,  without  adopting  the  mode  of 
warfare  of  the  barbarous  nation.  The  ferocious  Suwarrow,  when  at  war 
with  the  Turks,  was  as  much  of  a  savage  as  the  Turks  themselves.  His 
slaughters  were  as  indiscriminate  as  theirs ;  but  during  his  wars  against  the 
French,  in  Italy,  he  faithfully  observed  the  laws  of  civilized  warfare. 

Our  revolutionary  war  has  a  double  aspect :  on  the  one  hand  we  carried 

on  a  war  with  the  English,  in  which  we  observed  the  maxims  of  civilized 

warfare  with  the  utmost  strictness;  but  they  associated  with  themselves,  as 

auxiliaries,  the  murderous  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife  of  the  Indian  nations 

around  our  defenseless  frontiers.     On  them  then,  be  the  blame  of  all  the  hor- 

id  features  of  that  war  between  civilized  and  savage  men,  in  which  the  for- 

32 


256  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

mer  were  compelled,  by  every  principle  of  self-defense,  to  adopt  the  Indian 
mode  of  warfare,  in  all  its  revolting  and  destructive  features. 

Were  those  who  were  engaged  in  the  war  against  the  Indians  less  humane 
than  those  who  carried  on  the  war  against  their  English  allies?  No!  they 
were  not.  Both  parties  carried  on  the  war  on  the  same  principle  of  recipro- 
city of  advantages  and  disadvantages.  For  example,  the  English  and  Ameri- 
cans take  each  one  thousand  prisoners;  they  are  exchanged:  neither  army  is 
weakened  by  this  arrangement.  A  sacrifice  is  indeed  made  to  humanity,  in 
the  expense  of  taking  care  of  the  sick,  wounded,  and  prisoners;  but  this  ex- 
pense is  mutual.  No  disadvantages  result  from  all  the  clemency  of  modern 
warfare,  excepting  an  augmentation  of  the  expenses  of  war.  In  this  mode  of 
warfare,  those  of  the  nation,  not  in  arms,  are  safe  from  death  by  the  hands 
of  soldiers.  No  civilized  warrior  dishonors  his  sword  with  the  blood  of  help- 
less infancy,  old  age,  or  that  of  the  fair  sex.  He  aims  his  blows  only  at 
those  whom  he  finds  in  arms  against  him.  The  Indian  kills  indiscriminately. 
His  object  is  the  total  extermination  of  his  enemies.  Children  are  victims  of 
his  vengeance,  because,  if  males,  they  may  hereafter  become  warriors,  or  if 
females,  they  may  become  mothers.  Even  the  foetal  state  is  criminal  in  his 
view.  It  is. not  enough  that  the  foetus  should  perish  with  the  murdered 
mother,  it  is  torn  from  her  pregnant  womb  arid  elevated  on  a  stick  or  pole,  as 
a  trophy  of  victory  and  an  object  of  horror  to  the  survivors  of  the  slain. 

How  is  a  war  of  extermination,  and  accompanied  with  such  acts  of  atro- 
cious cruelty,  to  be  met  by  those  on  whom  it  is  inflicted?  Must  it  be  met  by 
the  lenient  maxims  of  civilized  warfare?  Must  the  Indian  captive  be  spared 
his  life?  What  advantage  would  be  gained  by  this  course?  The  young 
white  prisoners,  adopted  into  Indian  families  often  became  complete  Indians, 
but  in  how  few  instances  did  ever  an  Indian  become  civilized.  Send  a  cartel 
for  an  exchange  of  prisoners?  the  Indians  know  nothing  of  this  measure  of 
clemency  in  war;  the  bearer  of  the  white  flag  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  the 
exchange,  would  have  exerted  his  humanity  at  the  forfeit  of  his  life. 

Should  my  countrymen  be  still  charged  with  barbarism,  in  the  prosecution 
of  the  Indian  war,  let  him  who  harbors  this  unfavorable  impression  concern- 
ing them,  portray  in  imagination  the  horrid  scenes  of  slaughter  which  fre- 
quently met  their  view  in  the  course  of  the  Indian  war.  Let  him,  if  he  can 
bear  the  reflection,  look  at  helpless  infancy,  virgin  beauty,  and  hoary  age, 
dishonored  by  the  ghastly  wounds  of  the  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife  of  the 
savage.  Let  him  hear  the  shrieks  of  the  victims  of  the  Indian  torture  by 
fire,  and  smell  the  surrounding  air,  rendered  sickening  by  the  effluvia  of  their 
burning  flesh  and  blood.  Let  him  hear  the  yells,  and  view  the  hellish  fea- 
tures of  the  surrounding  circle  of  savage  warriors,  rioting  in  all  the  luxuriance 
of  vengeance,  while  applying  the  flaming  torches  to  the  parched  limbs  of  the 
sufferers,  and  then  suppose  those  murdered  infants,  matrons,  virgins,  and  vic- 
tims of  torture,  were  his  friends  and  relations,  the  wife,  sister,  child,  or  brother; 
what  would  be  his  feelings?  After  a  short  season  of  grief,  he  would  say,  "I 
will  now  think  only  of  revenge !" 

Philosophy  shudders  at  the  destructive  aspect  of  war  in  any  shape;  Chris- 
tianity, by  teaching  the  religion  of  the  good  Samaritan,  altogether  forbids  it; 
but  the  original  settlers  of  the  western  regions,  like  the  greater  part  of  the 
world,  were  neither  philosophers  nor  saints.  They  were  "men  of  like  pas- 
sions with  others,"  and  therefore  adopted  the  Indian  mode  of  warfare  from 
necessity,  and,  a  motive  of  revenge;  with  the  exception  of  burning  their  cap- 
tives alive.  Let  the  voice  of  nature,  and  the  law  of  nations  plead  in  favor  of 
the  veteran  pioneers  of  the  desert  regions  of  the  west. 

In  the  conflicts  of  nations,  as  well  as  those  of  individuals,  no  advantages  are 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  257 

to  be  conceded.  If  mercy  may  be  associated  with  the  carnage  and  devasta- 
tions of  war,  that  mercy  must  be  reciprocal ;  but  a  war  of  utter  extermination, 
must  be  met  by  a  war  of  the  same  character;  or  by  an  overwhelming  force 
which  may  put  an  end  to  it,  without  a  sacrifice  of  the  helpless  and  unoffend- 
ing part  of  a  hostile  nation;  such  a  force  was  not  at  the  command  of  the  first 
inhabitants  of  this  country.  The  sequel  of  the  Indian  wars  goes  to  show  that 
in  a  war  with  savages,  the  choice  lies  between  extermination  and  subjugation. 
Our  government  has  wisely  and  humanely  pursued  the  latter  course. 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  WAR  OF  1812,  IN  THE  WEST. 

ON  the  18th  of  June,  1812,  the  United  States  declared  war  against  Great 
Britain.  Some  time  previous,  William  Hull,  governor  of  the  Michigan 
territory,  in  an  official  communication  to  the  General  Government,  stated 
that  Detroit  was  the  key  to  the  upper  region  of  the  northwestern  lakes,  and 
to  a  vast  extent  of  back  country;  and  that  this  post  might  command  a  wide 
tract  of  territory,  and  serve  to  keep  the  northern  Indians  in  check.  He, 
therefore,  suggested  that  a  naval  force  should  be  sent  forward  immediately 
on  Lake  Erie,  sufficient  to  command  the  lakes,  and  to  co-operate  with  the 
post  at  Detroit.  In  case  this  project  should  be  defeated,  Governor  Hull  pro- 
posed that  in  case  of  war,  Canada  should  be  invaded  by  a  powerful  army 
sent  over  from  Niagara,  which,  co-operating  with  the  force  at  Detroit,  might 
subjugate  the  British  provinces.  If  this  was  not  done,  he  declared  that  the 
American  posts  on  the  lakes, — Detroit,  Michilimackinac  and  Chicago, — must 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

Owing  to  this  suggestion,  doubtless,  government  projected  a  campaign  for 
the  conquest  of  Canada.  The  object  appears  to  have  been  to  march  to 
Detroit  and  Niagara  at  the  same  time,  on  the  supposition  that  the  armies 
concentrated  at  these  posts,  would  from  thence  move  forward  to  Montreal, 
uniting  on  their  route  with  a  third  army  from  Plattsburg.  For  this  purpose, 
even  before  the  declaration  of  war,  the  army  destined  for  Detroit  had  collected 
at  Dayton  to  the  number  of  about  2000;  all  drafted  men  and  volunteers  from 
Ohio,  except  the  4th  U.  S.  Regiment,  under  Col.  Miller,  comprising  about 
three  hundred  men.  Governor  Hull,  who  had  command,  having  been  ordered 
to  Detroit,  the  army  left  Dayton  the  1st  of  June,  and  after  cutting  their  way 
through  the  wilderness,  and  enduring  much  hardship,  arrived  at  the  Maumee 
on  the  30th. 

Owing  to  the  gross  neglect  of  the  government,  Gen.  Hull  had  not,  up  to 
this  time,  received  intelligence  of  the  declaration  of  war,  although  he  had 
advices  from  the  Secretary  of  War,  dated  on  the  18th,  the  very  day  on  which 
it  was  declared.  He,  therefore,  had  no  hesitation  in  sending  a  vessel  from 
the  Maumee  to  Detroit,  in  which  were  placed  his  sick,  most  or  his  goods,  and 
even  his  instructions  and  army  roll.  The  British  at  Maiden,  had  previously 
obtained  the  information.  On  the  approach  of  the  vessel  to  that  point,  she 
was  captured,  and  from  British  lips  the  intelligence  of  the  war  first  broke 
upon  the  astonished  crew. 

Hull's  Invasion. — Having  arrived  at  Detroit,  on  the  5th,  Gen.  Hull,  on 
the  12th,  crossed  the  river  to  Sandwich,  and  established  his  forces  there,  with 
a  view  to  the  taking  of  Maiden,  then  the  key  to  the  Canadian  provinces. 
There  he  issued  a  spirited  proclamation  from  the  pen  of  Lewis  Cass,  which 
had  a  powerful  influence  in  keeping  neutral  the  Indians  and  Canadians,  and 
m  inducing  many  of  the  latter  to  join  the  Americans.  Some  of  the  officers 
advised  Hull  to  immediately  storm  Maiden,  which  was  twelve  miles  below  his 


258  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

encampment,  then  but  weakly  garrisoned ;  but  countenanced  by  a  council  of 
war  he  judged  it  expedient  to  wait  for  his  heavy  artillery,  which  was  prepar- 
ing at  Detroit.  In  the  meantime,  Col.  Cass  and  Col.  Miller,  by  an  attack 
upon  the  advanced  parties  of  the  enemy,  showed  the  power  and  willingness 
of  the  men  to  push  their  conquests,  if  the  chance  were  given.  When  the 
moment  arrived  for  the  assault,  the  General,  upon  learning  that  a  proposed 
attack  on  the  Niagara  frontier  had  not  been  made,  and  that  troops  of  the  ene- 
my from  that  quarter  were  moving  westward,  suddenly  abandoned  the  enter- 
prise, and  with  most  of  his  men,  on  the  7th  of  August,  returned  to  Detroit, 
much  to  the  disappointment  of  the  whole  army,  who  had  now  lost  all  Confi- 
dence in  his  capacity. 

Battle  of  monguagon. — Col.  Proctor  arrived  at  Maiden  on  the  29th  of 
July,  and  commenced  a  series  of  operations  to  cut  off  the  supplies  of  Hull 
from  Ohio,  which  would  completely  neutralize  all  active  operations  on  his 
part.  By  his  measures,  he  stopped  the  stores  on  their  way  to  Detroit,  at  the 
river  Raisin,  thirty-six  miles  south,  and  next  defeated  Major  Van  Home,  who 
had  been  sent  by  Hull  to  escort  them.  Upon  this  intelligence,  Hull  sent 
three  hundred  regulars  and  two  hundred  militia  under  Col.  Miller,  to  open 
the  communication.  The  enemy,  anticipating  a  renewal  of  the  attempt,  had 
been  reinforced  to  the  number  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men.  They  threw 
up  a  breastwork  about  four  miles  from  Brownstown,  at  a  place  called  Mon- 
guagon, behind  which  the  greater  part  of  the  Indians,  under  Tecumseh,  lay 
concealed;  the  whole  commanded  by  Major  Muir.  On  the  9th,  while  on 
its  march,  the  detachment  drew  near  the  ambuscade,  when  suddenly  the  attack 
was  commenced  on  the  advance  guard.  Col.  Miller,  with  the  utmost  celerity 
and  coolness  drew  up  his  men,  opened  a  brisk  fire,  and  then  charged.  The 
British  regulars  gave  way;  but  the  Indians  under  Tecumseh  betaking  them- 
selves to  the  woods  on  each  side,  kept  their  ground  with  desperate  obstinacy. 
The  regulars  again  rallied  and  returned  to  the  combat.  At  length  the  enemy 
were  compelled  to  yield,  retiring  slowly  before  the  bayonet  to  Brownstown, 
when  it  is  probable  that  the  whole  force  would  have  been  taken,  had  not 
boats  been  provided  for  their  embarkation.  The  battle  lasted  about  two 
hours,  during  which,  the  enemy  lost  over  one  hundred,  in  killed  and  wounded ; 
the  loss  of  the  Americans  was  much  less.  Among  the  wounded  of  the  enemy, 
were  both  Major  Muir  and  Tecumseh. 

Surrender  of  Detroit. — On  the  13th,  Gen.  Brock,  a  brave,  energetic  offi- 
cer, reached  Maiden  with  reinforcements.  Aware  of  the  character  of  Hull, 
he  prepared  for  the  conquest  of  Detroit.  On  the  14th,  he  planted  batteries 
at  Sandwich,  opposite  the  fortress  of  Detroit,  and  demanded  its  surrender, 
stating  that  he  should  otherwise  be  unable  to  restrain  the  fury  of  the  savages. 
This  was  answered  by  a  spirited  refusal,  and  a  declaration  that  the  fort  and 
town  would  be  defended  to  the  last  extremity.  The  firing  immediately  com- 
menced, and  continued  without  much  effect  until  the  next  day.  The  alarm 
and  consternation  of  Gen.  Hull  had  now  become  extreme.  On  the  12th,  the 
field  officers  suspecting  the  general  intended  a  surrender  of  the  fort,  had  de- 
termined on  his  arrest.  This  was  probably  prevented,  in  consequence  of 
Col.  M* Arthur  and  Cass,  two  very  active  and  spirited  officers  being  detached 
on  the  13th,  with  four  hundred  men,  on  a  third  expedition  to  the  river  Raisin. 
Early  on  the  morning  of  the  16th,  the  British  landed  at  Springwell,  three 
miles  below  the  town,  without  opposition,  and  marched  up  in  solid  column 
toward  the  fort  along  the  river  bank.  The  troops  were  strongly  posted,  and 
cannon  loaded  with  grape,  stood  on  a  commanding  eminence  ready  to  sweep 
the  advancing  columns.  The  troops  anticipating  a  brilliant  victory,  waited 
m  eager  expectation  the  advance  of  the  British.  What  was  their  disappoint- 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  259 

ment  and  mortification  at  the  very  moment  when  it  was  thought  the  British 
were  advancing  to  certain  destruction,  orders  were  given  for  them  to  retire 
within  the  fort,  and  for  the  artillery  not  to  fire.  Then,  the  men  were  ordered 
to  stack  their  arms,  and  to  the  astonishment  of  all,  aVhite  flag  was  suspended 
from  the  walls,  and  Hull  panic  stricken,  surrendered  the  fortress  without  even 
stipulating  the  terms.  The  surrender  included,  beside  the  troops  at  Detroit, 
the  detachments  under  Cass  and  M< Arthur,  and  the  party  with  the  supplies 
under  Captain  Brush  at  the  river  Raisin.  No  provision  was  made  for  the 
unfortunate  Canadians  who  had  joined  Gen.  Hull,  and  several  of  them  were 
executed  as  traitors. 

An  event  so  disgraceful,  excited  universal  indignation  throughout  the  coun- 
try. When  M 'Arthur's  sword  was  demanded,  he  indignantly  broke  it,  tore 
the  epaulettes  from  his  shoulders,  and  threw  himself  upon  the  ground.  When 
Gen.  Hull  was  exchanged,  he  was  tried  by  a  court-martial,  found  guilty  of 
cowardice,  and  sentenced  to  be  shot ;  but  was  pardoned  by  the  Executive  in 
consequence  of  his  revolutionary  services,  and  his  advanced  age. 

By  this  time  two  other  forts  on  the  western  lakes  had  fallen  into  the  pos- 
session of  the  enemy — Mackinaw  and  Fort  Dearborn.  The  first  was  garri- 
soned by  fifty-seven  men  under  Lieutenant  Hanks.  On  the  17th  of  July,  over 
1000  British  and  Indians  appeared  before  the  fortress,  and  demanded  its  sur- 
render; this  was  the  first  intimation  the  commander  had  of  the  declaration  of 
war.  Unable  to  withstand  so  large  a  force,  he  surrendered  to  avoid  a  threat- 
ened Indian  massacre. 

1  The  garrison  of  Fort  Dearborn,  at  Chicago,  were  less  fortunate.  Gen. 
Hull,  while  in  Canada,  dispatched  Winnemeg,  a  friendly  Indian,  to  Capt. 
Heald,  the  commander,  with  information  of  the  loss  of  Mackinaw,  and  di- 
rected him  to  distribute  his  stores  among  the  Indians,  and  return  to  Fort 
Wayne.  He  had  the  amplest  means  of  defense,  but  the  order  received  on 
the  9th  of  August,  left  nothing  to  his  discretion.  The  Pottawatomies,  how- 
ever, had  obtained  intelligence  of  the  war,  from  a  runner  sent  by  Tecumseh, 
and  collected,  to  the  number  of  several  hundred,  around  the  fort.  Capt. 
Heald,  notwithstanding  the  symptoms  of  hostility  among  the  Indians,  pro- 
ceeded to  obey  his  orders.  He  distributed  all  the  stores  among  the  Indians, 
excepting  what  they  most  wanted ;  the  liquors  and  ammunition,  which  were 
secretly  thrown  into  the  water.  This  they  learned,  and  this  it  was,  which 
led  to  the  catastrophe  which  ensued.  On  the  14th,  Capt.  Wells  arrived  with 
fifteen  friendly  Miamies  from  Fort  Wayne.  This  intrepid  warrior,  who  had 
been  bred  among  the  Indians,  hearing  that  his  friends  at  Chicago  were  in 
danger,  had  hastened  thither  to  avert  the  fate,  which  he  knew,  must  ensue  to 
the  little  garrison,  if  they  evacuated  the  fort.  But  he  was  too  late,  the  am- 
munition and  provisions  both  being  gone,  there  was  no  alternative.  He  fell 
in  the  massacre  that  ensued,  and  his  heart  was  taken  out  and  eaten  by  the 
savages.  The  next  day  (the  15th),  all  being  ready,  the  garrison  left  the  fort 
with  martial  music  and  in  military  array.  Before  they  had  proceeded  two 
miles,  they  were  attacked  by  the  Indians,  and  two-thirds  of  them  (from  fifty 
to  sixty),  massacred  on  the  spot,  the  particulars  of  which  are  given  below.* 

*  Captain  Wells,  at  the  head  of  the  Miamies,  led  the  van,  his  face  blackened  after  the  manner  of 
the  Indians.  The  garrison,  with  loaded  arms,  followed,  and  the  wagons  with  the  baggage,  the 
women  and  children,  the  sick,  and  the  lame,  closed  the  rear.  The  Pottawatomies,  about  five  hun- 
dred in  number,  who  had  promised  to  escort  them  in  safety  to  Fort  Wayne,  leaving  a  little  space, 
afterward  followed.  The  party  in  advance  took  the  beach  road.  They  had  no  sooner  arrived  at  the 
Band-hills,  which  separate  the  prairie  from  the  beach,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  fort,  when 
the  Pottawatomies,  instead  of  continuing  in  the  rear  of  the  Americans,  left  the  beach  and  took  to  the 
prairie.  The  sand-hills,  of  course,  intervened,  and  presented  a  barrier  between  the  Pottawatomies, 
and  the  American  and  Miami  line  of  march.  This  divergence  had  scarcely  been  effected,  when 


All 

?' 


260  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

Trms,  within  two  months  from  the  time  of  the  declaration  of  war,  the 
whole  northwest,  excepting  Forts  Harrison  and  Wayne,  in  the  Indiana  Terri- 
tory, were  in  possession  of  the  enemy.  Much  alarm  and  astonishment  pre- 
vailed throughout  the  West.  The  great  mass  of  the  Indians  in  the  West, 
ever  ready  to  join  the  successful  party,  were  now  flocking  to  the  British. 

Captiiin  Wells  [see  page  182],  who,  with  the  Miamies,  was  considerably  in  advance,  rode  back,  and 
exclaimed  :  "  They  are  about  to  attack  us  ;  form  instantly  and  charge  upon  them."  The  word  had 
scarcely  been  uttered,  before  a  volley  of  musketry  from  behind  the  sand-hills,  was  poured  in  upon 
them.  The  troops  were  brought  immediately  into  a  line,  and  charged  up  the  bank.  One  man,  a 
veteran  of  seventy,  fell  as  they  ascended.  The  battle  at  once  became  general.  The  Miamies  fled 
in  the  outset. 

The  American  troops  behaved  gallantly.  Though  few  in  number,  they  sold  their  lives  as  dearly 
as  possible.  While  the  battle  was  raging,  the  surgeon,  Doctor  Voorhes,  who  was  badly  wounded, 
and  whose  horse  had  been  shot  from  under  him.  approaching  Mrs.  Helm,  the  wife  of  Lieutenant 
Helm,  observed  :  "Do  you  think,"  said  he,  "  they  will  take  our  lives  ?  I  am  badly  wounded,  but 
I  think  not  mortally.  Perhaps  we  can  purchase  safety  by  offering  a  large  reward.  Do  you  think," 
continued  he,  "there  is  any  chance  ?"  "Doctor  Voorhes,"  replied  Mrs.  Helm,  "  let  us  not  waste 
the  few  moments  which  yet  remain,  in  idle  or  ill-founded  hopes.  Our  fate  is  inevitable.  We  must 
soon  appear  at  the  bar  of  God.  Let  us  make  such  preparations  as  are  yet  in  our  power."  "  Oh," 
said  he,  "  I  cannot  die.  I  am  unfit  to  die  !  If  I  had  a  short  time  to  prepare  ! — Death  ! — oh,  how 
awful  !" 

At  this  moment,  Ensign  Ronan  was  fighting  at  a  little  distance,  with  a  tall  and  portly  Indian  ; 
the  former,  mortally  wounded,  was  nearly  down,  and  struggling  desperately  upon  one  knee.  Mrs. 
Helm  pointing  her  finger,  and  directing  the  attention  of  Doctor  Voorhes  thither,  observed  :  "  Look," 
said  she,  "  at  that  young  man,  he  dies  like  a  soldier."  "  Yes,"  said  Doctor  Voorhes,  "  but  he  has 
no  terrors  of  the  future  ;  he  is  an  unbeliever."  A  young  savage  immediately  raised  his  tomahawk 
to  stake  Mrs.  Helm.  She  sprang  instantly  aside,  and  the  blow  intended  for  her  head  fell  upon  her 
shoulder.  She  thereupon  seized  him  around  his  neck,  and  while  exerting  all  her  efforts  to  get  pos-- 
session  of  his  scalping-knife,  was  seized  by  another  Indian,  and  dragged  forcibly  from  his  grasp. 

The  latter  bore  her,  struggling  and  resisting,  toward  the  lake.  Notwithstanding,  however,  the 
rapidity  with  which  she  was  hurried  along,  she  recognized,  as  she  passed,  the  remains  of  the  unfor- 
tunate surgeon,  stretched  lifeless  on  the  prairie.  She  was  plunged  immediately  into  the  water,  and 
held  there,  notwithstanding  her  resistance,  with  a  forcible  hand.  She  shortly,  however,  perceived 
that  the  intention  of  her  captor  was  not  to  drown  her,  as  he  held  her  in  a  position  to  keep  her  head 
above  the  water.  Thus  re-assured,  she  looked  at  him  attentively,  and,  in  spite  of  his  disguise,  re- 
cognized the  "  white  man's  friend."  It  was  Black  Partridge. 

The  troops  having  fought  with  desperation  until  two-thirds  of  their  number  were  slain,  the  remain- 
der, twenty-seven  in  all,  borne  down  by  an  overwhelming  force,  and  exhausted  by  efforts  hitherto 
unequaled,  at  length  surrendered.  They  stipulated,  however,  for  their  own  safety  and  for  the  safety 
of  their  remaining  women  and  children.  The  wounded  prisoners,  however,  in  the  hurry  of  the 
moment,  were  unfortunately  omitted,  or  rather  not  particularly  mentioned,  and  were,  therefore,  re- 
garded by  the  Indians  as  having  been  excluded. 

One  of  the  soldiers'  wires,  having  frequently  been  told  that  prisoners  taken  by  the  Indians  were 
subjected  to  tortures  worse  than  death,  had,  from  the  first,  expressed  a  resolution  never  to  be  taken; 
and  when  a  party  of  savages  approached  to  make  her  their  prisoner,  she  fought  with  desperation, 
and  though  assured  of  kind  treatment  and  protection,  refused  to  surrender,  and  was  literally  cut  in 
pieces,  and  her  mangled  remains  loft  on  the  field.  After  the  surrender,  one  of  the  baggage  wagons, 
containing  twelve  children,  was  assailed  by  a  single  savage,  and  the  whole  number  were  massacred 
All,  without  distinction  of  age  or  sex,  fell  at  once  beneath  his  murderous  tomahawk. 

During  the  massacre,  one  Indian,  with  the  fury  of  a  demon  in  his  countenance,  advanced  to  Mrs. 
alii,  with  his  tomahawk  drawn.  She  had  been  accustomed  to  danger,  arid  knowing  the  temper 
the  Indians,  with  great  presence  of  mind,  looked  him  in  the  face,  and  smiling,  said  :  "  Truly, 
you  will  not  kill  a  squaw  ?"  His  arm  fell  nerveless.  The  conciliating  smile  of  an  innocent  female, 
appealing  to  the  magnanimity  of  a  warrior,  reached  the  heart  of  the  savage,  and  subdued  the  bar- 
barity of  his  soul. 

Captain  Heald  and  lady,  by  the  aid  and  influence  of  To-pa-na-bee,  and  Kee-po-tah,  were  put  into 
a  bark  canoe,  and  paddled  by  a  chief  of  the  Pottawatomies  and  his  wife,  to  Mackinaw,  three  hun- 
dred miles  distant,  along  the  eastern  coast  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  delivered  to  the  British  com- 
mander. They  were  kindly  received,  and  sent  afterward  as  prisoners  to  Detroit,  where  they  were 
finally  exchanged. 

Lieutenant  Helm  was  wounded  in  the  action,  and  taken  prisoner  ;  he  was  afterward  taken  by 
some  friendly  Indians  to  the  Au  Sable,  and  from  thence  to  St.  Louis,  and  liberated  from  captivity 
through  the  intervention  of  Mr.  Thomas  Forsyth,  an  Indian  trader.  Mrs.  Helm  was  wounded 
slightly  in  the  ancle  ;  had  her  horse  shot  from  under  her;  and  after  passing  through  several  agoniz- 
ing scenes,  was  taken  to  Detroit  The  soldiers,  with  their  wives  and  children,  were  dispersed  among 
the  Pottawatomies,  on  the  Illinois,  the  Wabash,  and  Rock  Rivers,  and  some  were  taken  to  Mil- 
waukie.  In  the  following  spring,  they  were  principally  collected  at  Detroit,  and  ransomed.  A 
part  of  them,  however,  remained  in  captivity  another  year,  and  during  that  period,  experienced 
more  kindness  than  they  or  their  friends  had  anticipated. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  261 

By  the  spirited  exertions  of  the  Governors  of  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Indiana  and 
Illinois,  three  thousand  volunteers  were  assembled,  and  placed  under  the  com- 
mand of  Gen.  Harrison,  for  the  purpose  of  subduing  the  Indians,  and  regain- 
ing what  was  lost  at  Detroit. 

Attack  on  Fort  Harrison. — Fort  Harrison,  situated  on  the  Wabash,  sixty 
miles  above  Vincennes,  was  attacked  on  the  night  of  the  4th  of  September, 
by  several  hundred  Indians  from  the  Prophet's  town.  In  the  evening  pre- 
vious, thirty  or  forty  Indians  appeared  before  the  fort  with  a  flag,  under  the 
pretense  of  obtaining  provisions.  The  commander,  Capt.  Zachary  Taylor, 
(since  President),  made  preparations  for  the  expected  attack.  In  the  night, 
about  eleven  o'clock,  the  Indians  commenced  the  attack  by  firing  on  the  sen- 
tinel. Almost  immediately,  the  lower  block-house  was  discovered  to  have 
been  set  on  fire.  As  this  building  joined  the  barracks  which  made  part  of 
the  fortifications,  most  of  the  men  panic  stricken,  gave  themselves  up  for  lost. 
In  the  meantime,  the  yells  of  several  hundred  savages,  the  cries  of  the  women 
and  children,  and  the  despondency  of  the  soldiers,  rendered  it  a  scene  of  con- 
fusion. But  the  presence  of  mind  of  the  Captain,  did  not  forsake  him.  By 
the  most  strenuous  exertions  on  his  part,  the  fire  was  prevented  from  spread- 
ing, and  before  day  the  men  had  erected  a  temporary  breast-work  seven  feet 
high,  within  the  spot  where  the  building  was  consumed.  The  Indians  kept 
up  the  attack  until  morning,  when,  finding  their  efforts  ineffectual,  they  re- 
tired. At  this  time,  there  were  not  more  than  twenty  men  in  the  garrison  fit 
for  duty. 

Hopkins7  Expeditions. — Shortly  after,  Gen.  Hopkins  with  a  large  force, 
engaged  in  two  different  expeditions,  against  the  Indians  on  the  head  waters 
of  the  Wabash  and  the  Illinois.  The  first  was  in  October.  With  four  thou- 
sand mounted  volunteers  from  Kentucky,  Illinois  and  Indiana,  he  left  Vin- 
cennes early  in  the  month,  relieved  Fort  Harrison  on  the  10th,  and  from 
thence,  marched  for  the  Kickapoo  villages,  and  the  Peoria  towns, — the  first 
one  hundred,  and  the  last  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  distant.  But  his  men 
mutinizing,  he  was  obliged  to  return  before  reaching  the  hostile  towns.  On 
the  llth  of  November,  he  marched  from  Fort  Harrison,  on  his  second  expe- 
dition, with  a  detachment  of  regular  troops  and  volunteers.  On  the  20th,  he 
arrived  at  the  Prophet's  town,  at  which  place  and  vicinity,  he  destroyed  three 
hundred  wigwams,  and  large  quantities  of  Indian  corn.  Several  other  expe- 
ditions were  successfully  accomplished,  against  the  Indians  on  the  Wabash, 
the  Illinois,  and  their  tributaries,  by  which  the  security  of  that  frontier  was 
effected. 

Siege  of  Fort  Wayne. — This  fort  was  erected  by  Wayne,  in  1794,  on  the 
Maurnee,  at  the  junction  of  the  St.  Joseph's  and  St.  Mary's,  near  the  north- 
eastern corner  of  Indiana.  Immediately  after  the  massacre  at  Chicago,  it 
was  closely  besieged  by  several  hundred  Miami  and  Pottawatomie  Indians. 
The  garrison  numbered  only  some  sixty  or  seventy  effective  men.  The  siege 
continued  until  near  the  middle  of  September,  when  Gen.  Harrison  marched 
to  its  relief  with  twenty-five  hundred  men,  upon  which  the  Indians  fled. 

The  next  object  of  Gen.  Harrison,  was  to  open  and  secure  a  communication 
along  the  Miami  River,  between  the  settled  part  of  Ohio  and  Lake  Erie,  es- 
tablishing a  strong  post  at  the  Maumee  rapids.  On  the  20th  of  September, 
Gen.  Winchester  commenced  his  march  along  the  Maumee  to  Fort  Defiance. 
At  Defiance,  Gen.  Harrison  left  the  commana  to  Winchester,  and  proceeded 
to  Franklinton,  in  the  center  of  the  State,  to  organize  and  bring  on  reinforce- 
ments. 

From  Franklinton,  Harrison,  in  November,  sejit  Colonel  Campbell  with 
six  hundred  men  against  the  Indian  towns  on  the  Missininneway,  a  branch  of 


262  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

the  Wabash.  They  destroyed  several  of  their  towns,  and  defeated  the  In 
dians  in  a  hard  fought  battle,  b.ut  the  severity  of  the  weather  compelled  them 
to  return. 

Battle,  of  the  River  Raisin. — While  Winchester  was  strengthening  the 
post  at  the  Maumee  Rapids,  he  received  a  pressing  call  for  protection  against 
the  British  and  Indians  at  Maiden,  from  the  inhabitants  of  Frenchtown,  a  vil- 
lage on  the  River  Raisin,  inhabited  by  people  of  French  extraction.  He  sent 
forward  Colonel  Lewis  with  three  hundred  men;  but  the  enemy  had  got  there 
before  him.  The  day  after  his  arrival,  on  the  18th  of  December,  he  attacked 
and  drove  them  from  a  fortified  position,  and  on  the  20th,  the  whole  force 
was  augmented,  by  the  arrival  of  Winchester,  to  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
mostly  Kentucky  volunteers.  This  movement  was  without  the  knowledge  of 
the  commander-in-chief,  Gen.  Harrison,  and  was  exceedingly  rash.  The 
troops  were  far  from  succor,  and  within  twenty  miles  of  Maiden,  where  was 
a  much  superior  force.  At  day  break,  on  the  22d,  the  American  encampment 
was  attacked  by  sixteen  hundred  British  and  Indians  from  Maiden,  under 
Proctor.  They  defended  themselves  with  desperate  resolution  for  four  hours, 
but  at  last,  overwhelmed  by  numbers,  surrendered,  under  a  promise  of  being 
protected  from  the  Indians.  This  promise  was  broken :  a  large  number  or 
prisoners,  mostly  those  who  were  wounded,  were  atrociously  murdered  by 
the  Indians. 

One-third  were  killed  in  the  battle  and  massacre  that  followed,  and  but 
thiny-three  escaped.  The  merciless  savages  fired  the  town,  dragged  the 
wounded  from  the  houses,  killed  and  scalped  them  in  the  streets,  and  lefl 
their  mangled  bodies  in  the  highway. 

Siege  of  Fort  Mtigs. — On  the  1st  of  February,  Harrison,  with  seventeen 
hundred  men,  advanced  to  the  Maumee  Rapids,  and  commenced  the  building 
of  Fort  Meigs,  about  ten  miles  south  of  the  site  of  Toledo,  on  the  east  banj 
of  the  river,  and  opposite  Wayne's  battle-ground  of  1794.  On  the  28th,  the 
British  forces  commenced  the  investment  of  Harrison's  camp,  and  in  three 
days  after,  had  finished  their  batteries.  In  the  meanwhile,  the  Americans 
had  thrown  up  a  wall  of  earth  twelve  feet  high,  behind  which  they  were  se- 
cure from  the  balls  of  the  enemy.  On  the  5th,  Gen.  Green  Clay  came  down 
the  Maumee  in  flat-boats,  with  a  reinforcement  of  twelve  hundred  men,  and 
in  accordance  with  orders  from  Harrison,  detached  eight  hundred  Kentucky 
volunteers,  under  Col.  Dudley,  to  attack  the  batteries  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  river,  while  he,  with  the  remainder  of  his  forces,  landed  on  the  opposite 
shore,  and  with  some  delay  and  loss,  fought  his  way  into  camp.  Dudley 
Succeeded  in  driving  the  enemy  from  the  batteries  and.  in  spiking  the  cannon, 
but  his  men  disobeying  the  peremptory  orders  of  their  Colonel  to  return  to  the 
boats  and  cross  over  to  the  fort,  with  true  Kentucky  impetuosity,  commenced  a 
pursuit  of  the  Indians  until  sufficient  time  had  elapsed  for  the  main  body  of 
the  enemy  to  march  from  their  camp,  which  was  two  miles  down  the  river,  up 
to  their  position,  and  overwhelm  them  by  their  superiority.  The  result 
was,  that  only  one  hundred  and  fifty  escaped.  The  remainder  were  either 
killed  or  surrendered  at  discretion,  when  tne  savages  commenced  an  indis- 
criminate massacre,  upon  which  Tecumseh,  more  merciful  than  Proctor,  in- 
terposing his  authority,  stopped  the  slaughter.  Col.  Dudley  was  among  the 
slam. 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  two  sorties  were  made  from  Fort  Meigs ;  one  tc 
cover  the  landing  of  the  reinforcement,  and  the  other  against  some  British 
batteries  that  had  been  erected  on  the  same  side  of  the  river,  both  of  which 
were  eminently  successful.  Proctor  seeing  no  prospect  of  taking  the  fort, 
raised  the  siege  on  the  9th,  and  returned  to  Maiden.  The  Americans  lost  in 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  263 

the  sortie  of  the  6th,  and  during  the  siege,  eighty-one  killed  and  one  hundred 
and  eighty-nine  wounded. 

On  the  20th  of  July,  the  enemy,  to  the  number  of  five  thousand,  again  ap- 
peared before  Fort  Meigs,  which  had  been  left  under  the  command  of  Gen. 
Green  Clay.  They  remained  but  a  few  days,  and  then  proceeded  in  their 
vessels  down  the  lake,  and  a  few  days  after,  appeared  before  Fort  Stephenson. 

Assault  on  Fort  Stephenson. — This  post  had  been  established  oy  Gen. 
Harrison  on  Sandusky  River,  eighteen  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  forty  east  of 
Fort  Meigs.  It  was  garrisoned  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  under  Major 
George  Croghan,  a  young  Kentuckian,  just  past  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
This  fort  being  indefensible  against  heavy  cannon,  which  it  was  supposed 
would  be  brought  against  it  by  Proctor,  it  was  judged  best  by  Harrison  and 
his  officers  in  council,  that  it  should  be  abandoned.  But  the  enemy  appeared 
before  the  garrison  on  the  31st  of  July,  before  the  order  could  be  executed ; 
they  numbered  thirty-three  hundred  strong,  including  the  Indians,  and  brought 
with  them  six  pieces  of  artillery,  which,  luckily,  were  of  light  caliber.  To 
Proctor's  demand  for  its  surrender,  he  was  informed  that  he  could  only  gain 
access  over  the  corpses  of  its  defenders.  The  enemy  soon  opening  their  fire 
upon  them,  gave  Croghan  reason  to  judge  that  they  intended  to  storm  the 
northwest  angle  of  the  fort.  In  the  darkness  of  night,  he  placed  his  only 
piece  of  artillery,  a  six  pounder,  at  that  point,  and  loaded  it  to  the  muzzle 
with  slugs.  On  the  evening  of  the  2d,  three  hundred  British  veterans  marched 
up  to  carry  the  works  by  storm,  and  when  within  thirty  feet  of  the  masked 
battery  it  opened  upon  them.  The  effect  was  decisive,  twenty-seven  of  their 
number  were  slain,  the  assailants  recoiled,  and  having  the  fear  of  Harrison 
before  them,  who  was  at  Fort  Seneca,  some  ten  miles  south,  with  a  consider- 
able force,  they  hastily  retreated  the  same  night,  leaving  behind  them  their 
artillery  and  stores. 

Perry's  Victory. — The  grand  object  of  the  campaign,  was  to  attack  Mai- 
den ana  reconquer  Michigan  from  the  enemy ;  but  this  could  not  be  effectu- 
ally done,  so  long  as  the  fleet  of  the  enemy  held  possession  of  Lake  Erie. 
To  further  the  desired  object,  a  number  of  vessels  had  been  building  at  Erie, 
on  the  southeast  shore  of  the  lake,  and  were  finished  early  in  August.  They 
consisted  of  two  twenty  gun  vessels,  and  seven  smaller  vessels,  carrying  from 
one  to  three  each — the  whole  fleet  numbering  fifty-four  guns.  On  the  10th 
of  September  Perry  fell  in  with,  and  gave  battle  to,  the  British  fleet  near 
the  western  end  of  the  lake,  under  Commodore  Barclay,  consisting  of  six  ves- 
sels, carrying  in  all  sixty-four  guns.  The  number  of  guns  in  both  fleets,  in 
some  cases,  is  surpassed  by  those  of  a  single  battle-ship  of  the  line.  The 
engagement  between  these  little  fleets  was  desperate,  ana  lasted  three  hours. 
Never  was  victory  more  complete ;  every  British  ship  struck  her  colors,  and 
the  Americans  took  more  prisoners  than  they  themselves  numbered  men. 

Gen.  Harrison  at  this  time,  lay  with  the  main  body  of  the  Americans  in 
the  vicinity  of  Sandusky  Bay  and  Fort  Meigs;  the  British  and  their  Indian 
allies,  under  Proctor  and  Tecumseh,  were  at  Maiden,  ready  in  case  of  a  suc- 
cessful issue,  to  renew  their  ravages  on  the  American  borders. 

Battle  of  the  Thames. — Harrison's  army  had  received  a  reinforcement  of 
3000  Kentucky  volunteers,  under  Governor  Shelby.  On  the  27th  of  Septem- 
ber, the  main  body  of  the  army  sailed  for  Detroit  river,  intending  to  enter 
Canada  by  the  valley  of  the  Thames.  Two  days  after,  Harrison  was  at 
Sandwich,  and  M<  Arthur  took  possession  of  Detroit.  Proctor  retreated  up 
the  Thames,  was  pursued,  and  come  up  with  on  the  5th  of  October,  by  Har- 
rison's army ;  the  Americans  numbering  something  over  3000,  and  their  enemy 
about  2000.  The  latter  were  badly  posted  in  order  of  battle.  Their  infan. 
33 


264  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

try  were  formed  in  two  lines,  extending  from  the  river  to  a  small  dividing 
swamp;  the  Indians  extended  from  the  latter,  to  a  larger  swamp.  The  Ken- 
tucky mounted  men,  under  Col.  Richard  M.  Johnson,  divided  into  two  parts. 
The  one  under  the  Col.  in  person,  charged  the  Indians;  the  other  under  his 
brother  James,  charged  the  infantry.  The  latter  received  the  enemy's  fire, 
broke  through  their  ranks,  and  created  such  a  panic,  that  they  at  once  surren- 
dered. Upon  the  left,  the  contest  with  the  Indians  was  more  severe;  but 
there  the  impetuosity  of  the  Kentuckians  overcame  the  enemy,  Tecumseh 
their  leader,  being  among  the  slain.  The  battle  was  over  in  half-an-hour, 
with  a  loss  to  both  armies  of  less  than  fifty  killed.  Proctor  fled  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  action. 

In  January  1814,  the  enemy  again  took  a  position  near  the  battle-field  of 
the  Thames.  Captain  Holmes  while  advancing  to  meet  them,  learned  that 
a  superior  force  was  approaching.  Having  posted  himself  on  a  hill,  and 
thrown  up  intrenchments,  he  was  vigorously  attacked,  but  repulsed  the  ene- 
my with  considerable  loss.  In  the  June  following,  Col.  Croghan  attempted 
to  take  the  island  of  Mackinaw,  but  his  force  being  insufficient,  he  was 
repelled  with  the  loss  of  twelve  men,  among  whom  was  Major  Holmes.  A 
fort  having  been  established  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  early  in  the  season,  it  was 
invested,  by  1200  British  and  Indians  from  Mackinaw,  and  the  officer  in  com- 
mand, Lieut.  Perkins,  having  lost  sixty  men,  capitulated. 

The  last  movement  of  consequence  in  the  northwest,  during  the  war,  was 
the  expedition  of  Gen.  M'Arthur.  He  left  Detroit  on  the  26th  of  October, 
with  seven  hundred  cavalry,  intending  to  move  to  the  relief  of  Gen.  Brown, 
who  was  besieged  by  the  enemy  at  Fort  Erie,  on  the  Niagara  River,  oppo- 
site Buffalo.  When  he  had  proceeded  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  he 
ascertained  that  the  enemy  were  too  strong  in  front,  and  he  changed  his 
course,  defeated  a  body  of  opposing  militia,  destroyed  several  mills,  and  re- 
turned to  Detroit,  without  the  loss  of  a  man,  although  pursued  by  about 
1200  regular  troops. 

Events  of  the,  War  in  the  Southwest. — Soon  after  the  commencement  of 
hostilities,  the  United  States  were  involved  in  a  war  with  the  Southern  In- 
dians, who  inhabited  the  Mississippi  territory,  comprising  the  country  south 
of  Tennessee,  between  Georgia  and  the  Mississippi  River.  They  consisted  of 
the  Creek,  Chickasaw,  Choctaw,  and  Cherokee  nations,  numbering  60,0  0 
souls,  among  whom  were  6000  warriors.  They  were  considerably  civilized. 
Many  of  them  were  regular  farmers,  and  possessed  stocks  of  cattle,  horses, 
and  swine.  Their  women  had  been  taught  to  spin  and  weave;  intermar- 
riages with  the  whites  were  frequent,  and  a  numerous  and  intelligent  race  of 
hall- breeds  had  sprung  up. 

The  celebrated  Tecumseh  had  appeared  among  them,  and  through  the  aid 
of  their  prophets,  and  of  the  prevalent  fanaticism,  had  induced  them  to  believe 
th  <t  the  Great  Spirit  had  ordered  the  destruction  of  the  whites.  Apprised  by 
their  runners  of  the  capture  of  Detroit,  and  of  the  successes  of  the  British,  at 
that  period  in  the  northwest,  and  also  being  liberally  supplied  with  the  im- 
plements of  war  by  the  British,  through  the  medium  of  the  Spaniards  of  Pen- 
sacola,  the  Creek  nations,  by  far  the  most  numerous,  and  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  other  tribes  in  the  summer  of  1813,  took  up  arms  against  thp 
United  States. 

Massacre  at  Fort  Mlmms. — On  the  first  beginning  of  their  depredations, 
the  settlers  in  the  Tensaw  district,  sought  safety  in  Fort  Mimms  on  Alabama 
River,  which  was  garrisoned  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  under  M'ljor 
Beasly.  At  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  of  August  30th,  about  seven  hun- 
dred Indian  warriors  issued  from  the  adjoining  forest,  gave  the  war-whoop, 


FRONTIER   LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  265 

and  rushed  toward  the  open  gate  of  the  fort  which  was  bravely  defended,  but 
at  last  overwhelmed  by  numbers,  the  garrison  were  driven  within  it,  followed 
by  the  savages.  The  fort  had  been  enlarged,  and  inclosed  an  inner  line  of 
pickets  and  some  houses,  to  which  the  people  retired.  These  they  defended 
with  obstinacy  for  hours,  until  the  Indians  set  fire  to  the  adjoining  buildings, 
when  they  gave  up  all  for  lost,  and  a  scene  of  distressing  horror  ensued.  The 
women  and  children  had  sought  refuge  in  the  upper  story  of  one  of  the 
dwellings  and  were  consumed  in  the  flames,  the  Indians  dancing  and  yellinor 
around  them  with  the  most  savage  delight.  The  battle  and  massacre  lasted 
seven  hours,  by  which  time  the  fort  and  buildings  had  been  consumed,  and 
over  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  women,  and  children  massacred,  only  seven- 
teen escaping,  out  of  all  who  were  in  the  fort.  The  victory  had  not  been 
bloodless ;  the  death  of  near  two  hundred  Indians,  evinced  the  desperation  of 
the  defense. 

This  event  created  great  consternation  throughout  the  settlements,  and  the 
neighboring  States  of  Tennessee  and  Georgia  raised  a  large  force  and  carried 
the  war  into  the  enemy's  country,  burning  their  towns  and  defeating  them  in 
various  battles.  The  last  action  was  fought  on  the  27th  of  March  1814. 
The  enemy,  1000  strong,  were  posted  in  a  strong  log  fortification,  at  the 
Great  Bend  of  the  Tallapoosa,  which  river  forms  the  northeastern  branch  of 
the  Alabama.  Gen.  Jackson,  who  had  already  greatly  distinguished  himself 
in  the  war,  commanded  on  this  occasion.  His  force  consisted  of  3000  men, 
and  was  composed  of  regulars,  militia,  and  friendly  Indians.  Finding  it 
impossible  to  make  any  impression  with  artillery,  upon  the  walls  of  the  breast- 
work, which  was  of  logs  eight  tier  deep;  the  fortification  had  to  be  carried 
by  storm;  the  Creeks  were  entirely  routed,  and  all  but  about  twenty  men, 
killed  in  the  battle,  and  the  subsequent  rout.  Jackson's  loss  in  killed,  was 
fortv-nine,  and. in  wounded,  one  hundred  and  fifty-four. 

This  decisive  victory  put  an  end  to  the  Creek  war.  In  five  months,  2000 
of  their  warriors,  prophets,  and  chiefs  had  been  slain,  nearly  all  their  towns 
and  villages  burned,  and  their  country  occupied  by  the  United  States  troops. 
The  miserable  remnant  of  the  tribe  submitted. 

Among  the  distinguished  chiefs  was  the  noted  Weather  ford,  chief  of  the 
Alabamans,  a  principal  instigator  of  the  outbreak,  the  leader  in  the  capture 
and  massacre  of  Fort  Mimms,  and  an  active  commander  during  the  war. 
Vanquished,  but  not  subdued,  the  proud  warrior  and  fearless  chief,  disdaining 
to  be  led  a  captive,  boldly  advanced  through  the  American  camp  into  the 
presence  of  his  victorious  enemy,  surrounded  by  his  staff  officers.  Bearing 
in  his  hands  the  emblem  of  peace,  he  thus  addressed  Gen.  Jackson: — 

I  am  in  your  power;  do  with  me  as  you  please.  I  am  a  soldier.  I  have  done  the  white  people 
all  the  harm  I  could;  I  have  fought  them,  and  fought  them  hravely.  If  I  had  an  army,  I  would 
yet  fight  and  contend  to  the  last;  but  I  have  none;  my  people  are  all  gone.  I  can  do  no  more 
than  weep  over  the  misfortunes  of  my  nation.  Once  I  could  animate  my  warriors  to  battle;  but 
I  cannot  animate  the  dead.  My  warriors  can  no  longer  hear  my  voice:  their  bones  are  at  Talla- 
dega,  Tallushatches,  Emuckfaw,  and  Tohopeka.  I  have  not  surrendered  myself  thoughtlessly.  While 
there  were  chances  of  success  I  never  left  my  post,  nor  supplicated  peace;  but  my  people  are  now 
gone,  and  I  ask  it  for  my  nation  and  for  myself.  On  the  miseries  and  misfortunes  brought  on  my 
country,  1  look  back  with  deepest  sorrow,  and  I  wish  to  avert  still  greater  calamities.  If  I  had 
been  left  to  contend  with  the  Georgia  army  alone,  I  would  have  raised  my  corn  on  one  bank  of  the 
river  and  fought  them  on  the  other;  but  your  people  have  destroyed  my  nation.  You  are  a  brave 
man;  I  rely  on  your  generosity.  You  will  exact  no  terms  of  a  conquered  people,  but  such  as  they 
ehould  accede  to:  whatever  they  may  be,  it  would  be  madness  and  folly  to  oppose.  If  they  are 
oppoaed,  you  will  find  me  among  the  sternest  enforcers  of  obedience.  Those  who  would  still  hold 
out,  can  only  be  influenced  by  a  mean  spirit  of  revenge;  and  to  this  they  must  not,  and  shall  not 
sacrifice  the  last  remnant  of  their  country. 

The  Creek  war  led  to  a  rapid  settlement  of  the  country,  by  the  whites. 
At  the  commencement  of  the  war  in  1813,  there  were  not  in  the  Mississippi, 


266  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

Territory  over  20,000  white  inhabitants.  Within  seven  years  from  that 
period,  they  increased  tenfold ;  and  the  same  territory  then  formed  the  States 
of  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  with  a  population  of  200,000. 

In  August  1814,  several  British  ships  of  war  arrived  at  the  Spanish  port 
of  Pensacola,  and  took  possession  of  the  port  with  the  consent  of  the  authori- 
ties, and  fitted  out  an  expedition  against  Port  Bowyer,  commanding  the  en- 
trance  to  the  bay  and  harbor  of  Mobile.  After  the  loss  of  a  ship  of  war,  and 
a  considerable  number  of  men  in  killed  and  wounded,  the  armament  returned 
to  Pensacola.  Gen.  Jackson  then  commanding  at  the  south,  after  in  vain 
remonstrating  with  the  governor  of  Pensacola,  for  affording  shelter  and  pro- 
tection to  the  enemies  of  the  United  States,  marched  against  the  place,  stormed 
the  town,  and  compelled  the  British  to  evacuate  Florida. 

Returning  to  his  head  quarters  at  Mobile,  he  received  authentic  informa- 
tion that  preparations  were  making  for  a  formidable  invasion  of  Louisiana, 
and  an  attack  on  New  Orleans.  He  immediately  repaired  to  that  city,  which 
he  found  in  a  state  of  confusion  and  alarm.  By  his  exertions,  order  and  con- 
fidence were  restored ;  the  militia  were  organized,  fortifications  erected,  and 
finally  martial  law  was  proclaimed;  which,  although  in  violation  of  the  con- 
stitution, was  deemed  indispensable  for  the  safety  of  the  country,  and  a  mea- 
sure justified  by  necessity.  The  spies  and  traitors  with  which  the  city  had 
abounded,  and  who  had  been  industriously  employed  in  seducing  the  French 
and  Spanish  inhabitants  from  their  allegiance,  forthwith  fled,  and  the  remain- 
ing citizens  thereupon  cordially  co-operated  with  the  General  in  the  means  of 
defense. 

On  the  5th  of  December,  a  large  British  squadron  appeared  off  the  harbor 
of  Pensacola,  and  on  the  10th  entered  Lake  Borgne,  the  nearest  avenue  of 
approach  to  New  Orleans.  Here,  a  small  squadron  of  gunboats,  under  Lieut. 
Jones,  was  attacked,  and  after  a  sanguinary  combat,  in  which  the  killed  and 
wounded  of  the  enemy  exceeded  the  whole  number  of  the  Americans,  was 
compelled  to  surrender. 

On  the  22d  of  December,  about  2400  of  the  enemy  reached  the  Mississippi, 
nine  miles  below  New  Orleans,  where  on  the  following  night,  they  were 
surprised  by  an  unexpected  and  vigorous  attack  upon  their  camp,  which  they 
succeeded  in  repelling,  after  a  loss  of  four  hundred  men  in  killed  and 
wounded. 

Battle  of  Plaint  Chalmette. — Jackson  now  withdrew  his  troops  to  a  point 
which  he  nad  selected  for  defense,  four  miles  below  the  city,  on  a  piece  of 
firm  ground  a  mile  in  width,  bounded  on  the  right,  by  the  Mississippi,  and  on 
the  left,  by  an  impenetrable  cypress  swamp.  Extending  from  the  one  to  the 
other,  was  a  large  artificial  ditch,  which  had  been  made  for  agricultural  pur- 
poses. On  the  city  side  of  the  ditch,  intrenchments  were  thrown  up,  and 
surmounted  by  large  quantities  of  cotton  bales.  Each  flank  was  secured  by 
an  advance  bastion,  and  the  latter  protected  by  artillery  in  the  rear.  Batter- 
ies were  also  placed  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river.  On  the  28th  of  Decem- 
ber, and  on  the  1st  of  January,  the  works  were  unsuccessfully  cannonaded  by 
the  enemy. 

At  daylight  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  January,  the  British,  12,000  strong, 
under  Gen.  Packenham,  advanced  under  the  cover  of  a  dense  fog  across  the 
plain  to  storm  the  American  works.  Behind  their  breastworks  of  cotton 
bales,  which  no  balls  could  penetrate,  6000  Americans,  mostly  militia,  but 
the  best  marksmen  in  the  land,  silently  awaited  the  attack.  When  the  Brit- 
ish columns  had  advanced  to  within  three  hundred  yards  of  the  lines,  the 
whole  artillery  at  once  opened  upon  them  a  most  deadly  fire.  Forty  pieces 
of  cannon  deeply  charged  with  grape,  canister,  and  musket  balls,  mowed 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  267 

tnem  down  by  hundreds,  at  the  same  time,  the  batteries  upon  the  opposite 
bank  of  the  river,  opened  their  fire,  while  the  riflemen  in  perfect  security  be- 
hind their  works,  as  the  British  advanced,  took  deliberate  aim  and  nearly 
every  shot  took  effect.  Through  this  destructive  fire  the  British  left  column 
rushed  on  with  fascines  and  scaling  ladders,  to  the  advance  bastion,  on  the 
American  right  by  the  river,  and  after  a  close  conflict  with  the  bayonet,  took 
possession ;  when  the  battery  in  its  rear  opened  its  fire  and  drove  them  from 
it.  Col.  Regnier,  who  commanded  the  forlorn  hope  which  stormed  this  bas- 
tion, as  he  was  leading  his  men  up,  had  the  calf  of  his  leg  carried  away  by 
a  cannon  ball.  Disabled  as  he  was,  he  was  the  first  to  mount  the  parapet, 
and  receive  the  American  bayonet.  On  the  American  left,  the  British 
attempted  to  gain  the  rear,  but  the  first  few  sunk  in  the  mud  of  the  cypress 
swamp,  and  disappearing,  served  as  a  warning  to  their  companions  of  their 
fate,  if  they  should  follow.  For  an  hour  and  a  quarter,  the  British  stood 
exposed  to  the  most  destructive  and  deliberate  fire,  while  the  Americans  lay 
in  perfect  security  behind  their  cotton  bales.  Such  a  tornado  of  cannon 
balls,  grape,  and  musket  shot,  no  troops  could  withstand,  and  at  eight  o'clock 
the  enemy  retired  in  contusion.  Elated  with  their  victory,  the  militia  were 
eager  to  pursue  ;  but  their  General  would  not  permit  it.  The  defense  of  the 
city  was  the  object,  and  nothing  was  to  be  hazarded  that  would  jeopardize 
it.  Defeat  must  have  inevitably  attended  an  assault  made  by  raw  militia 

upon  an  intrenched  camp  of  British  regulars.* 

• 

*  A  Kentuckian  who  was  in  the  battle,  has  published  some  of  those  minor  incidents,  which  brings 
the  scene  more  vividly  to  view  than  can  be  given  by  a  formal  description.  Some  of  them  we  copy 
below. 

Col.  Smiley,  from  Bardstown,  was  the  first  one  who  gave  us  orders  to  fire  from  our  part  of  the 
line  ;  and  then,  I  reckon,  there  was  a  pretty  considerable  noise.  There  were  also  brass  pieces  on 
our  right,  the  noisiest  kind  of  varmints,  that  began  blazing  away  as  hard  as  they  could,  while  the 
heavy  iron  cannon,  toward  the  river,  and  some  thousands  of  small  arms,  joined  in  the  chorus  and 
made  the  ground  shake  under  our  feet.  Directly  after  the  firing  began,  Capt.  Patterson — I  think 
he  was  from  Knox  County,  Kentucky,  but  an  Irishman  born— came  running  along.  He  jumped 
up  on  the  breastwork,  and  stooping  a  moment  to  look  through  the  darkness  as  well  as  he  could,  he 
shouted  with  a  broad  North  of  Ireland  brogue,  "  Shoot  low,  boys  !  shoot  low  !  rake  them— rake 
them  !  They're  comin'  on  their  all  fours  !" 

The  official  report  said  the  action  lasted  two  hours  and  five  minutes,  but  it  did  not  seem  half  that 
length  of  time  to  me.  It  was  so  dark  that  little  could  be  seen,  until  just  about  the  time  the  battle 
ceased.  The  morning  had  dawned  to  be  sure,  but  the  smoke  was  so  thick  that  everything  seemed 
covered  up  in  it.  Our  men  did  not  seem  to  apprehend  any  danger,  but  would  load  and  fire  as  fast 
as  they  could,  talking,  swearing,  and  joking  all  the  time.  All  ranks  and  sections  were  soon  broken 
up.  After  the  first  shot,  every  one  loaded  and  banged  away  on  his  own  hook.  Henry  Spillman 
did  not  load  and  fire  quite  so  often  as  some  of  the  rest,  but  every  time  he  did  fire  he  would  go  up  to 
the  breastwork,  look  over  until  he  could  see  something  to  shoot  at,  and  then  take  deliberate  aim  and 
crack  away.  Lieut.  Ashby  was  as  busy  as  a  nailor,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  River  Raisin  was 
uppermost  in  his  mind  all  the  time.  He  kept  dashing  about,  and  every  now  and  then  he  would 
call  out,  with  an  oath, "  We'll  pay  you  now  for  the  River  Raisin!  We'll  give  you  something  to  re- 
member the  River  Raisin  !"  When  the  British  had  come  up  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  breastwork, 
having  no  gun,  he  picked  up  an  empty  barrel  and  flung  it  at  them.  Then  finding  an  iron  bar,  he 
jumped  up  on  the  works  and  hove.that  at  them. 

At  one  time  I  noticed,  a  little  on  our  right,  a  curious  kind  of  a  chap  named  Ambrose  Odd,  one 
of  Captain  Higdon's  company,  and  known  among  the  men  by  the  nickname  of  "  Sukey,"  standing 
coolly  on  the  top  of  the  breastwork  and  peering  into  the  darkness  for  something  to  shoot  at.  The 
balls  were  whistling  around  him  and  over  our  heads,  as  thick  as  hail,  and  Col.  Slaughter  coming 
along,  ordered  him  to  come  down.  The  Colonel  told  him  there  was  policy  in  war,  and  that  he  was 
exposing  himself  too  much.  Sukey  turned  round,  holding  up  the  flap  of  his  old  broad  brimmed  hat 
with  one  hand,  to  see  who  was  speaking  to  him,  and  replied  :  "  Oh  !  never  mind,  Colonel — here's 
Sukey — I  don't  want  to  waste  my  powder,  and  I'd  like  to  know  how  I  can  shoot  until  I  see  some- 
thing ?"  Pretty  soon  after,  Sukey  got  his  eye  on  a  red  coat,  and,  no  doubt,  made  a  hole  through 
it,  for  he  took  deliberate  aim,  fired,  and  then  coolly  came  down  to  load  again. 

During  the  action,  a  number  of  Tennessee  men  got  mixed  with  ours.  One  of  them  was  killed 
about  five  or  six  yards  from  where  I  stood.  I  did  not  know  his  name.  A  ball  passed  through  his 
head  and  he  fell  against  Ensign  Weller.  I  always  thought,  as  did  many  others  who  were  standing 
near,  that  he  must  have  been  accidentally  shot  by  some  of  our  own  men.  From  the  range  of  the 
British  balls,  they  could  hardly  have  passed  over  the  breastwork  without  passing  over  our  heads, 
nnloss  we  were  standing  very  close  to  the  works,  which  were  a  littlo  over  breast  high,  and  five  or 


268  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

The  three  commanding  generals,  Packenham,  Kean,  and  Gibbs,  in  mar- 
shalling  their  troops  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  promised  them  a  plentiful 
dinner  in  New  Orleans,  and  gave  them  "booty  and  beauty,"  as  the  parole 
and  countersign  of  the  day.  Before  eight  o'clock,  two  of  them  were  carried 
off  in  the  agonies  of  death,  and  the  third  desperately  wounded;  leaving  up- 
wards of  2000  of  their  men  dead,  wounded,  and  dying  on  the  field,  and  five 
hundred  prisoners  in  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  But  six  Americans  were 
killed  and  seven  wounded.  Of  the  detachment  on  the  west  bank,  and  in  a 
sortie  on  the  British  lines,  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  were  killed  and 
wounded. 


six  feet  wide  on  the  top.  This  man  was  standing  a  little  back  and  rather  behind  Weller.  After 
the  battle,  I  could  not  see  that  any  balls  had  struck  the  oak  tree  lower  than  ten  or  twelve  feet  from 
the  ground.  Above  that  height  it  was  thickly  peppered.  This  was  the  only  man  killed  near 
where  I  was  stationed.  It  was  near  the  close  of  the  firing.  About  the  time  that  I  observed  three 
or  four  men  carrying  his  body  away,  or  directly  after,  there  was  a  white  flag  raised  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  breastwork  and  the  firing  ceased. 

The  white  flag,  before  mentioned,  was  raised  about  ten  or  twelve  feet  from  where  I  stood,  close 
to  the  breastwork  and  a  little  to  the  right.  It  was  a  white  handkerchief,  or  something  of  the  kind, 
on  a  sword  or  stick.  It  was  waved  several  times,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  perceived,  we  ceased  firing. 
Just  then  the  wind  got  up  a  little  and  blew  the  smoke  off,  so  that  we  could  see  the  field.  It  then 
appeared  that  the  flag  had  been  raised  by  a  British  officer  wearing  epaulets.  I  was  told  he  was  a 
Major.  He  stepped  over  the  breastwork  and  came  into  our  lines.  Among  the  Tennesseeans  who 
had  got  mixed  with  us  during  the  fight,  there  was  a  little  fellow  whose  name  I  do  not  know  ;  but 
he  was  a  cadaverous  looking  chap  and  went  by  that  of  Paleface.  As  the  British  officer  came  in, 
Paleface  demanded  his  sword.  He  hesitated  about  giving  it  to  him,  probably  thinking  it  was  deroga- 
tory to  his  dignity,  to  surrender  to  a  private  all  over  begrimed  *vith  dust  and  powder  and  that 
some  officer  should  show  him  the  courtesy  to  receive  it.  Just  at  that  moment,  Col.  Smiley  carne  up 
and  cried,  with  a  harsh  oath,  <•  Give  it  up — give  it  up  to  him  in  a  minute  !"  The  British  officer 
quickly  handed  his  weapon  to  Paleface,  holding  it  in  both  hands  and  making  a  very  polite  bow. 

A  good  many  others  came  in  just  about  the  same  time.  Among  them  I  noticed  a  very  neatly 
dressed  young  man,  standing  on  the  edge  of  the  breastwork,  and  offering  his  hand,  as  if  for  some 
one  to  assist  him  down.  He.appeared  to  be  about  nineteen  or  twenty  years  old,  and,  as  I  should 
judge  from  his  appearance,  was  an  Irishman.  He  held  his  musket  in  one  hand  while  lie  was  of- 
fering the  other.  I  took  hold  of  his  musket  and  set  it  down,  and  then  giving  him  my  hand,  he 
jumped  down  quite  lightly.  As  soon  as  he  got  down,  he  began  trying  to  take  off"  his  cartouch 
box,  and  then  1  noticed  a  red  spot  of  blood  on  his  clean  white  under  jacket.  I  asked  him  if  he  waa 
wounded,  and  he  said  that  he  was,  and  he  feared  pretty  badly.  While  he  was  trying  to  disengage 
his  accouterments,  Capt.  Farmer  came  up,  and  said  to  him,  "  Let  me  help  you,  my  man  !"  Tlie 
captain  and  myself  then  assisted  him  to  take  them  off*.  He  begged  us  not  to  take  his  canteen, 
which  contained  his  water.  We  told  him  we  did  not  wish  to  take  anything  but  what  was  in  his 
way  and  cumbersome  to  him.  Just  then  one  of  the  Tennesseeans,  who  had  run  down  to  the  river, 
as  soon  as  the  firing  ceased,  for  water,  came  along  with  some  in  a  tin  coffee-pot.  The  wounded 
man  observing  him,  asked  if  he  would  please  to  give  him  a  drop.  "  0  !  yes,"  said  the  Tennes- 
seean,  "  I'll  treat  you  to  anything  I've  got."  The  young  man  took  the  coffee-pot,  and  swallowed 
two  or  three  mouthfulls  out  of  the  spout.  He  then  handed  back  the  pot,  and  in  an  instant,  we  ob- 
served him  sinking  backward.  We  eased  him  down  against  the  side  of  a  tent,  when  he  gave  two 
or  three  gasps  and  was  dead.  He  had  been  shot  through  the  breast. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  breastwork  there  was  a  ditch  about  ten  feet  wide,  made  by  the  exca- 
vation of  the  earth  of  which  the  work  was  formed.  In  it,  was  about  a  foot  or  eighteen  inches  of 
water,  and  to  make  it  the  more  difficult  of  passage,  a  quantity  of  thornbush  had  been  cut  and 
thrown  into  it.  In  this  ditch  a  number  of  British  soldiers  were  found  at  the  close  under  the  breast- 
work, as  a  shelter  from  our  fire.  These,  of  course,  came  in  and  surrendered. 

When  the  smoke  had  cleared  away  and  we  could  obtain  a  fair  view  of  the  field,  it  looked,  at  the 
first  glance,  like  a  sea  of  blood,  it  was  not  blood  itself  which  gave  it  this  appearance,  but  the  red 
coats  in  which  the  British  soldiers  were  dressed.  Straight  out  before  our  position,  for  about  the 
width  of  space  which  we  supposed  had  been  occupied  by  the  British  column,  the  field  was  entirely 
covered  with  prostrate  bodies.  In  some  places  they  were  laying  in  piles  of  several,  one  on  the  top 
of  the  other.  On  either  side,  there  was  an  interval  more  thinly  sprinkled  with  the  slain  ;  and  then 
two  other  dense  rows,  one  near  the  levee  and  the  other  toward  the  swamp.  About  two  hundred 
yards  off,  directly  in  front  of  our  position,  lay  a  large  dapple  gray  horse,  which  we  understood  to 
have  been  Packenharn's.  Something  like  half  way  between  the  body  of  the  horse  and  our  breastwork 
there  was  a  very  large  pile  of  dead,  and  at  this  spot,  as  I  was  afterward  told,  Packenham  had  been 
killed  ;  his  horse  having  staggered  off  to  a  considerable  distance  before  he  fell.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  I  could  have  walked  on  the  bodies,  from  the  edge  of  the  ditch  to  where  the  horse  was  lying, 
without  touching  the  ground.  I  did  not  notice  any  other  horse  on  the  field. 

When  we  first  got  a  fair  view  of  the  field  in  our  front,  individuals  could  be  seen  in  every  possi- 
ble attitude.  Some  laying  quite  dead,  others  mortally  wounded,  pitching  and  tumbling  about  in 
the  agonies  of  death.  Some  had  their  heads  shot  off,  some  their  legs,  some  their  arms.  Some  were 
laughing,  some  crying,  some  groaning  and  some  screaming.  There  was  every  variety  of  sight  and 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  269 

A  truce  having  been  granted  for  carrying  away  the  British  dead,  the  after- 
noon of  the  8th  and  the  whole  of  the  9th,  were  employed  for  this  purpose. 
The  British  surviving  officers  determined  to  withdraw  their  troops  from  their 
position  and  re-embark  in  the  face  of  their  enemy.  This  was  an  object  of 
much  difficulty  and  hazard,  and  to  accomplish  it,  every  appearance  of  a  re- 
newal of  the  assault  was  kept  up,  and  they  remained  firm  in  their  position 
until  the  tenth  day  after  the  battle. 

In  the  meanwhile,  they  had  constructed  a  sort  of  road  from  their  encamp- 
ment to  their  place  of  debarkation,  and  it  being  through  a  quagmire,  along 
the  margin  of  a  bayou,  they  had  used  for  the  purpose,  immense  quantities  of 
reeds  tied  up  in  bundles.  Silently,  on  the  night  of  the  18th,  they  stole  away 
on  this  insecure  tract.  By  the  treading  of  the  first  corps,  the  bundles  of  reeds 
gave  way,  and  their  followers  had  to  flounder  through  in  the  mire.  Not  only 
were  the  reeds  torn  asunder,  but  the  bog  itself  became  of  the  consistency  of 
mud.  Every  step  sunk  them  to  the  knees,  and  frequently  higher.  Several 
sunk  over  their  heads  in  the  sloughs  and  perished,  the  darkness  of  the  night 
preventing  their  companions  from  affording  relief.  At  the  mouth  of  the 
bayou  were  a  few  fishermen's  huts,  where  they  halted  to  embark.  Their 
provisions  being  exhausted,  a  few  crumbs  of  biscuit  and  a  small  allowance  of 
rum  was  their  only  support.  Here  they  were  eighty  miles  from  their  ships, 
and  having  but  a  few  small  open  boats,  occupied  ten  days  in  their  embarka- 
tion. Their  ranks  thinned,  their  generals  slam,  their  bodies  emaciated  with 
hunger,  fatigue,  and  sickness,  they  gladly  quitted  this  inauspicious  country. 

This  was  the  last  important  action  of  the  war,  on  the  land.  The  rejoicings 
of  victory  were  speedily  followed  by  the  welcome  tidings  of  a  treaty  of  peace 
that  had  been  concluded  in  the  previous  December. 


VISIT  TO  THE  MAMMOTH  CAVE. 

THE  celebrated  Mammoth  Cave,  is  about  one  hundred  miles  southwest  of 
Louisville  in  Edmondson  County  Kentucky,  in  the  valley  of  Green  River. 
Our  party,  consisting  of  five,  left  the  hotel  for  the  entrance,  which  is  in  a 

sound.  Among  those  that  were  on  the  ground,  however,  there  were  some  that  were  neither  dead 
nor  wounded.  A  great  many  had  thrown  themselves  down  behind  piles  of  slain,  for  protection. 
As  the  firing  ceased,  these  men  were  every  now  and  then  jumping  up  and  either  running  off  or 
coming  in  and  giving  themselves  up. 

Among  those  that  were  running  off,  we  observed  one  stout  looking  fellow,  in  a  red  coit,  who 
would  every  now  and  then  stop  and  display  some  gestures  toward  us,  that  were  rather  the  opposite 
of  complimentary.  Perhaps  fitly  guns  were  fired  at  him,  but  as  he  was  a  good  way  off,  without 
effect.  Just  then,  it  was  noticed,  that  Paleface  was  loaoing  his  rifle,  and  some  one  called  out  to 
him,  "Hurra,  Paleface  !  load  quick  and  give  him  a  shot.  The  infernal  rascal  is  patting  his  butt  at 
us  !"  Sure  enough,  Paleface  rammed  home  his  bullet,  and,  taking  a  long  sight,  he  let  drive.  The 
fellow,  by  this  time,  was  from  two  to  three  hundred  yards  off,  and  somewhat  to  the  left  of  Packen- 
ham's  horse.  Paleface  said  he  drew  sight  on  him  and  then  run  it  along  up  his  back  until  the  sight 
was  lost  over  his  head,  to  allow  for  the  sinking  of  the  ball  in  so  great  a  distance,  and  then  let  go. 
As  soon  as  the  gun  cracked,  the  fellow  was  seen  to  stagger.  He  ran  forward  a  few  steps,  then 
pitched  down  on  his  head  and  moved  no  more.  As  soon  as  he  fell,  George  Huffman,  a  big  stout 
Dutchman,  belonging  to  our  company,  asked  the  captain  if  he  might  go  and  see  where  Paleface  hit 
him.  The  captain  said  he  didn't  care,  and  George,  jumping  from  the  breastwork  over  the  ditch, 
ran  out  over  the  dead  and  wounded  until  he  came  to  the  place  where  the  fellow  was  lying.  George 
rolled  the  body  over  until  he  could  see  the  face,  and  then  turning  round  to  us,  shouted  at  the  top  of 
his  voice,  "  Mine  Got !  he  is  a  nager  !"  He  was  a  mulatto,  and  he  was  quite  dead.  Paleface's  ball 
had  entered  between  the  shoulders  and  passed  out  through  his  breast.  George,  as  he  carne  bar.k, 
brought  three  or  four  muskets  which  he  had  picked  up.  By  this  time,  our  men  were  running  out 
in  all  directions,  picking  up  muskets,  and  sometimes  watches  and  other  plunder.  One  man  who 
had  got  a  little  too  far  out  on  the  field  was  fired  at  from  the  British  breastwork,  and  wounded  in 
the  arm.  He  came  running  back  a  good  deal  faster  than  he  had  gone  out.  He  was  not  much  hurt 
but  pretty  well  scared. 


270  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

little  ravine  two  hundred  feet  above  Green  River,  and  one  hundred  below  the 
table-land  above;  it  is  screened  by  forest  trees  that  hide  its  yawning  mouth. 
About  one  hundred  yards  from  the  entrance  at  "  the  narrows,"  you  come  to 
a  door,  above  which,  a  rude  ^Eolian  harp  is  fixed :  the  cool  air  within  rush- 
ing  to  the  warmer  atmosphere  without,  produces  a  constant  current,  which 
passing  over  it,  gives  forth  wild,  mournful  notes,  in  keeping  with  the  solemn 
grandeur  of  the  cavern.  As  you  continue  on,  the  cave  gradually  expands  into 
immense  proportions,  when  you  reach  the  "Grand  Dome,"  which  is  eighty 
feet  high  and  three  hundred  feet  in  circumference.  Having  lighted  our  Bengal 
lights,  we  stood  enchained  in  wonder  and  admiration.  The  purity  of  the 
air  was  now  sensibly  felt;  the  thermometer,  the  whole  year  round,  stands  at 
fifty-seven  degrees.  Beyond,  we  came  to  "Staglamite  Hall,"  where  the 
clusters  of  stalactites  and  staglamites  produce  a  singularly  beautiful  effect. 
The  pure  air  of  the  cavern  now  began  to  act  upon  our  frames,  and  rendered 
us  buoyant  and  elastic  to  a  high  degree.  We  could  not  repress  our  exuber- 
ance of  feeling,  and  ran,  jumped,  and  hallooed,  like  boys  just  let  out  from 
school. 

The  "Devil's  Arm  Chair,"  the  "Elephant's Head,"  the  "Lover's  Leap," 
the  "Gothic  Chapel,"  and  the  "Cinder  Pile,"  in  turn  arrested  our  attention, 
by  which  time  we  had  got  four  miles  from  the  entrance,  when  we  retraced 
our  steps  to  the  main  cave,  and  after  an  absence  of  six  hours,  found  comfort- 
able quarters  at  the  hotel. 

At  daylight  the  next  morning,  the  guide  came  with  a  lamp  for  each,  and  a 
gallon  of  oil  slung  on  his  back,  and  our  party,  increased  to  eight,  again  started 
for  a  farther  exploration  of  the  great  cavern.  The  enchanting  strains  of  the 
jEolian  harp  soon  greeted  our  ears,  then  gradually  died  away  in  the  distance, 
as  we,  leaving  the  scene  of  the  yesterday's  explorations  on  our  right,  continued 
our  journey  in  the  "  Main"  cave,  until  we  came  to  an  apartment  which  was 
occupied  by  a  gentleman  who  had  been  there  for  months,  in  the -hope  of  cur- 
ing an  affection  of  the  lungs.  He  had  improved  somewhat;  but  I  am  satisfied 
that  no  permanent  cure  can  be  effected  by  this  mode  of  living. 

The  next  prominent  point  was  the  "  Bottomless  Pit."  Here,  above  us  rose 
the  dome,  and  far  below  sunk  the  pit ;  the  distance  from  the  top  of  the  one  to 
the  bottom  of  the  other,  being  nearly  three  hundred  feet ;  the  guide  threw  a 
blazing  newspaper,  saturated  with  oil  into  the  pit.  The  illumination  was 
beautiful,  showing  every  fissure  in  the  walls  of  this  immense  shaft.  Leaving 
the  pit,  over  which  we  crossed  by  a  frail  bridge,  we  after  awhile  descended 
a  ladder  to  the  first  river— the  river  "  Styx,"  and  then  to  "  Red  River,"  and 
last  to  "Echo  River,"  the  deepest  and  widest  of  the  three  being  about  ten 
feet  deep,  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  width.  In  several  places  we  discovered 
a  slow  current.  It  has  been  ascertained  that  the  surface  of  this  river  is  nearly 
upon  a  level  with  the  surface  of  Green  River,  which  passes  the  Cave  House 
but  a  short  distance  from  the  lawn.  It  must  of  course  flow  into  Green  River, 
as  they  usually  rise  and  fall  together. 

This  point  is  five  miles  from  the  entrance.  Five  miles !  It  is  a  long  dis- 
tance from  the  light  of  the  glorious  sun.  Miniature  rivers  and  mountains, 
vales  and  cliffs  had  been  passed,  that  had  never  in  all  previous  time  drank  in 
the  light  of  day.  The  transparency  of  4he  water  is  astonishing,  as  we  could 
see  the  sand  and  pebbles  by  the  light  of  our  lamps,  as  plainly  as  if  in  air. 
The  guide  told  us  the  water  was  very  low,  and  we  found  that  we  had  almost 
to  prostrate  ourselves  in  the  boat,  that  we  might  pass  under  the  roof,  which 
appears  like  an  arch  sprung  from  one  side  of  the  cave  to  the  other.  This 
was  sooji  after  leaving  tne  shore. 

One  Fourth  of  July,  some  three  or  four  years  since,  a  party  of  two  ladies 


34 


FRONTIER  LIFE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  273 

and  two  gentlemen,  with  the  guide,  crossed  the  river,  which  was  then  slightly 
rising,  and  made  a  visit  of  some  six  or  eight  hours.  They  enjoyed  them- 
selves as  all  do,  who  see  the  wonders  of  the  cave  beyond  the  rivers,  little 
thinking  of  the  danger  which  they  had  left  behind,  and  which  was  increasing 
each  moment  of  their  stay.  Upon  their  return,  they  were  amazed  and  stupi- 
fied  to  find  the  water  had  risen  some  four  or  five  feet,  in  their  absence.  Con- 
sternation seized  upon  them  for  a  time,  as  visions  of  starvation,  in  utter  dark- 
ness, flashed  upon  their  minds.  They  gave  themselves  up  for  lost.  They 
knew  not  when  the  water  would  fall,  or  whether  they  could  repass  the  low 
and  arched  portion  of  the  roof  spoken  of  above.  They  resolved,  however,  to 
try,  and  that  quickly,  as  each  fleeting  moment  added  to  the  fast  rising  flood, 
and  a  little  delay  might  cut  them  off  forever  from  the  cheerful  light  of  day, 
and  anxious  friends  without.  They  stepped  into  the  small  and  tottling  flat- 
boat  with  beating  hearts — they  pushed  boldly  out,  the  guide  in  the  bow.  In 
a  little  time,  they  see  the  dreaded  arch  by  the  light  of  their  torches,  and  in- 
stantly feel  the  descending  roof  with  their  hands.  All  now  lay  down  on  their 
backs  in  the  sand  and  water  which  was  at  the  bottom  of  this  craft,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  squeezing  themselves  and  their  cockle-shell  of  a  boat  through  the 
opening  left  by  the  still  rising  water.  One  hour  longer,  and  their  egress 
would  have  been  utterly  stopped  !  On  their  arrival  at  the  mouth,  they  found 
there  had  been  a  tremendous  fall  of  rain,  which  had  suddenly  raised  Green 
River,  as  much  as  it  had  its  counterpart  in  the  cave. 

About  half  way  across  the  river,  the  cavern  expands  into  mammoth  propor- 
tions, and  the  number  of  chambers  and  recesses  above  are  innumerable.  Here 
is  the  remarkable  echo  which  gives  its  name  to  the  river.  A  slight  stroke  of 
the  oar  upon  the  frail  boat  is  repeated  millions  of  times,  receding  at  each  suc- 
cessive echo,  until  the  sound  dies  away  in  the  most  distant  chambers  above 
you,  assuming  the  melting  tones  of  the  wind  harp.  The  ear  is  never  surfeited 
with  this  musical  echo,  and  all  the  different  noises  we  could  conjure  up,  were 
tried  over  and  over  again  with  the  same  harmonious  effect.  The  most  be- 
witching melody  is  returning  to  the  expectant  ear  from  the  musical  apartments 
above,  whatever  may  be  the  cause.  A  pistol  was  discharged,  and  thunder 
burst  upon  us,  as  grand  and  startling  as  any  ever  heard  above ;  always,  how- 
ever, giving  us  a  strain  of  sweet  melody  as  it  left  us. 

During  our  voyage,  we  saw  many  of  the  eyeless  fish  floating  in  the  clear 
water,  without  any  apparent  concern  for  their  safety.  With  a  scoop-net  we 
caught  several,  and  examined  them  closely.  They  are  white,  from  four  to 
six  inches  in  length,  and  entirely  destitute  of  eyes.  They  are  a  new  species, 
wonderfully  suited  to  their  dark  and  silent  abode,  being  so  constituted  as  to 
possess  an  external  covering,  whose  sense  of  touch  is  peculiarly  delicate,  ena- 
bling it  to  perceive  the  slightest  impulse  given  to  the  water,  and  from  whence 
it  proceeds.  The  fish,  as  a  whole,  resembles  the  ordinary  cat-fish  of  our 
rivers,  but  it  has  no  thorns  for  its  defense,  its  delicate  sense  of  touch  answer- 
ing in  the  place  of  all  warlike  weapons. 

Some  few  miles  beyond  the  river,  we  came  to  "  Cleveland's  Cabinet," 
which  cannot  be  adequately  described.  Conceive,  if  you  can,  yourself  stand- 
ing under  an  arch,  some  twenty  feet  in  height,  and  fifty  in  width,  incrusted 
with  a  thick  coating  of  frost,  through  which  is  protruding  in  all  directions, 
buds,  vine-tendrils,  rosettes,  sun-flowers,  cactus  leaves, — everything  from  the 
most  exquisite  and  perfect  lily,  to  the  elegance  and  taste  of  the  most  elaborate 
Corinthian  capitol,  fashioned  from  a  material  the  most  delicate,  and  all  of  a 
pearly  white  ;  and  you  may  have  some  conception  of  this  unique  cabinet.  At 
some  points,  the  roof  is  entirely  studded  with  snow-balls,  which  have,  appa- 
rently been  frozen  there,  and  present  innumerable  mirrors  to  your  lamps, 


274  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

wherein  the  light  is  reflected  with  sparkling  brilliancy,  as  if  from  millions  of 
diamonds.  Sulphate  of  soda,  as  pure  as  it  can  be,  is  under  your  feet  in  piles. 
Every  turn  you  make  presents  some  new  and  beautiful  vegetable  form  of  the 
utmost  delicacy. 

After  leaving  the  cabinet,  which  is  near  a  mile  in  length,  you  are  arrested 
by  the  "  Rocky  Mountains" — truly  and  appropriately  named,  as  any  who 
may  ever  cross  them  will  surely  acknowledge.  Gloom  of  a  peculiar  nature 
characterizes  this  spot  above  all  others.  Pen  and  pencil  will  both  fail  in 
giving  the  slightest  idea  of  the  magnitude  and  grandeur  of  this  awful  place. 
We  lit  our  Bengal  lights,  and  were  silent  with  awe. 

Still  further  on,  and  thirteen  long  and  weary  miles  from  the  entrance,  we 
came  to  the  end  ;  here  is  the  gem  of  this  whole  cavern.  It  is  named  "  Serena's 
Bower."  This  beautiful  spot  is  guarded  by  an  aperture,  which  is  very  difficult 
to  enter.  The  interior  of  the  Bower  is  a  fit  termination  to  so  vast  a  cavern, 
amply  repaying  the  determined  explorer  for  his  energy  in  reaching  it. 

It  is  small  and  deep,  bottom,  roof  and  sides  being  entirely  covered  with 
stalactite  formations.  From  the  ceiling,  the  stalactites  join  on  the  sides,  and 
run  down  to  and  form  the  very  floor  of  this  most  beautiful  grotto.  The  roof 
is  shaped  much  like  an  umbrella.  The  idea  that  strikes  you  is,  as  if  from  a 
common  center  in  the  roof,  that  the  long  hair  from  the  heads  of  a  hundred  fe- 
males had  been  let  down,  and  that  it  had  been  dropped  from  that  center  in 
the  most  graceful  manner  imaginable  to  the  walls,  down  which  it  flows  in 
most  grotesque  confusion,  forming  miniature  grottoes,  surrounded  with  fan- 
like  pillars  ;  and  when  illuminated  interiorly,  producing  a  most  exquisite  pic- 
ture. This  is  a  fairy  realm,  and  this  the  abode  of  their  queen. 

In  the  side  of  the  bower,  and  about  three  feet  from  the  floor,  is  a  basin  of 
the  most  limpid  water ;  around  the  edge  of  which,  the  most  curiously  shaped 
pillars,  form  as  it  were,  a  fence  for  its  protection.  Hanging  a  lamp  inside  of 
the  columns,  and  above  the  water,  it  illuminated  this  magic  mountain,  and 
drew  from  each  one  present,  an  acclamation  of  wonder  and  delight.  We  sat 
down,  and  quietly  feasted  our  eyes  with  the  rare  and  exquisite  beauties  of 
this  lovely  spot.  We  had  been  over  six  hours  constantly  traveling  and  won- 
dering ;  and  were  now  much  impressed  with  our  utter  exclusion  from  our  fel- 
low-beings. 

Six  hours  longer,  and  we  were  again  within  sight  of  the  heavens,  with 
the  sun,  red  and  low  in  the  west. 


ADVENTURES  OF  OLIVER. 

IN  August,  1812,  immediately  after  the  disgraceful  surrender  of  Hull,  about 
five  hundred  Indian  warriors  laid  siege  to  Fort  Wayne,  a  dilapidated  struc- 
ture of  wood  which  had  been  built  in  Wayne's  campaign,  near  the  north- 
eastern corner  of  Indiana,  at  the  junction  of  the  St.  Joseph's  and  St.  Mary's 
Rivers,  main  branches  ef  the  Maumee.  The  garrison,  amounting  to  less 
than  one-seventh  of  their  number,  was  commanded  by  Capt.  Rhea,  an  old 
officer  broken  down  by  intemperance,  and  of  a  timid  disposition.  As  at  that 
period  the  whole  surrounding  region  was  a  wilderness,  and  they  were  far  from 
succor,  their  danger  was  imminent. 

They  were  finally  saved  from  the  horrors  of  an  Indian  massacre,  by  the 
daring  bravery  and  address  of  a  young  Virginian,  named  William  Oliver. 
This  young  man,  scarce  twenty-one  years  of  age,  to  a  slender  and  delicate, 
though  active  figure,  united  in  a  high  degree,  the  qualities  of  undaunted  cour- 
age, enthusiasm,  firmness  and  sagacity.  A  resident  of  Fort  Wayne,  he  was  at 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  275 

this  time,  temporarily  absent  at  Cincinnati,  and  learning  on  his  return  route 
that  the  Indians  had  appeared  before  the  fort,  he  voluntarily  hurried  back  to 
the  city  to  urge  the  troops  stationed  at  that  point,  to  hasten  to  its  relief. 
This  being  accomplished,  he  set  out  again  with  all  speed  toward  the  fort,  in- 
tending to  reach  it,  and  penetrate  through  its  swarm  of  surrounding  savages 
in  advance  of  the  relief,  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  the  garrison  to  perse- 
vere  in  its  defense  until  their  arrival. 

At  St.  Mary's  River  he  came  to  an  encampment  of  Ohio  militia,  with 
whom  was  Thomas  Worthington,  of  Chillicothe  (afterward  Governor  of 
Ohio),  then  on  the  frontier  as  Indian  commissioner,  to  whom  Oliver  commu- 
nicated his  intention  of  entering  the  fort,  or  of  perishing  in  the  attempt. 
Worthington  had  been  originally  opposed  to  the  policy  of  declaring  war;  but 
now  that  it  had  been  commenced,  was  zealous  for  its  vigorous  prosecution; 
yet  this  did  not  save  him  from  the  taunt  of  an  ill-bred  brother  officer,  who 
accused  him  of  a  want  of  patriotism.  Being  a  high-spirited  man  of  the 
keenest  sense  of  honor,  this  accusation  stung  Worthington  to  the  quick,  and 
he  felt  eager  to  embark  in  any  enterprise,  howsoever  desperate,  to  show  the 
unjustness  of  the  charge,  and  his  willingness  to  peril  his  all  for  his  country. 
In  him,  Oliver  found  a  zealous  confederate,  notwithstanding  old  experienced 
frontiersmen  endeavored  to  dissuade  him  from  the  dangerous  undertaking. 
Unitedly,  they  induced  sixty-eight  of  the  militia,  and  sixteen  Shawanee  In- 
dians, to  accompany  them. 

On  the  second  day's  march,  thirty-six  of  the  party  consulting  their  fears, 
secretly  deserted  their  companions,  and  returned  to  the  main  body.     The  re- 
mainder continued  their  route,  and  at  sunset  in  their  camp,  heard  the  evening 
gun  from  the  fort,  through  an  intervening  forest  of  twenty -four  miles.     As  the 
reduced  party  was  not  strong  enough  to  encounter  the  enemy,  Worthington 
was  very  reluctantly  induced  to  remain  at  this  point  with  his  men,  while 
Oliver,  with  three  friendly  Indians,  pushed  on.     Being  well  armed  and  mount- 
ed, they  started  at  day  break  the  next  morning,  proceeding  with  great  cau* 
tion.     When  within  five  miles  of  the  fort,  they  perceived  holes  which  the  In- 
dians had  dug  on  each  side  of  the  road  for  concealment,  and  to  cut  off  all, 
who  should  approach  toward  the  place.     Upon  observing  these,   they  aban- 
doned the  main  road,  struck  off  across  the  country,  and  reached  the  Maumee* 
one  and  a  half  miles  below  the  fort.     Tying  their  horses  in  a  thicket,  they 
stole  cautiously  along  through  the  forest  to  ascertain  if  the   Indians  had  ob- 
tained possession.     Oliver  at   length  discovered,  with  feelings  of  joy,  the 
American  flag  waving  above  the  fort;  but  not  deeming  even  this  as  conclu- 
sive, he   approached  on  the  east  side  so  near  as  not  only  to  discern  the  blue 
uniform  of  a   sentinel,  but  to  recognize  in  his  countenance  that  of  an  ac- 
quaintance. 

Having  satisfied  himself  on  this  point,  they  returned,  remounted  their 
horses,  and  taking  the  main  road,  moved  rapidly  onward.  Upon  reaching, 
the  gate  of  the  esplanade,  they  found  it  locked,  and  were  thus  compelled  to 
pass  down  the  river  bank,  and  then  ascend  it  at  the  northern  gate.  They 
were  favored  in  doing  so,  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  savages  from  this  point,- 
in  carrying  out  a  plan,  then  on  the  point  of  consummation,  for  taking  the 
ibrt  by  an  ingenious  stratagem. 

For  several  days  previous  to  this  time,  the  hostile  chiefs,  under  a  flag  of 
truce,  had  been  holding  intercourse  with  the  garrison.  In  their  interviews 
with  Captain  Rhea,  that  officer  had  shown  such  a  spirit  of  timidity,  that  they 
felt  persuaded  that  it  could  be  made  available  at  the  proper  moment,  to  put 
him  and  his  men  in  their  power.  They  had  accordingly,  arranged  their  war- 
riors in  a  semicircle  on  the  west  and  south  sides  of  the  fort,  and  at  a  short 


276  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

distance  from  it.  Five  of  the  chiefs,  under  pretense  of  treating  with  the  offi- 
cers of  the  garrison,  were  to  pass  into  the  fort,  and  gain  admittance  into  the 
council-room  with  scalping-knives  and  pistols  secreted  under  their  blankets. 
Then,  at  a  certain  signal,  they  were  to  assassinate  the  two  subaltern  officers, 
seize  Captain  Rhea,  and  with  threats  of  instant  death,  if  he  did  not  comply, 
and  promises  of  safety,  if  he  did,  compel  him  to  order  the  gates  to  be  thrown 
open  for  the  admission  of  their  warriors. 

The  plan,  thus  arranged,  was  in  the  act  of  being  carried  into  execution,  at 
the  moment  when  Oliver  and  his  companions  reached  the  gate.  Their  safe 
arrival  at  that  particular  moment,  may  be  justly  considered  as  miraculous. 
One  hour  sooner,  or  one  hour  later,  would  have,  no  doubt,  been  inevitable  de- 
struction both  to  himself  and  escort :  the  parties  of  Indians  who  had  kept 
close  guard  for  eight  days  previous,  upon  the  roads  and  passes  in  different  di- 
rections, having  all  at  that  moment,  been  called  in  to  aid  in  carrying  the  fort. 
Winnemac,  Five  Medals  and  three  other  hostile  chiefs,  bearing  the  flag  of 
truce,  under  which  they  were  to  gain  admittance  to  carry  out  their  treacher- 
ous intentions,  were  surprised  by  suddenly  meeting  at  the  gate,  Oliver  and  his 
companions.  Coming  from  different  directions,  and  screened  by  the  angles 
of  the  fort,  they  were  not  visible  to  each  other  until  that  moment.  Winne- 
mac showed  great  chagrin,  uttered  an  ejaculation  of  disappointment,  and 
hastily  returning  to  the  Indian  camp,  informed  the  chiefs  and  warriors  that 
the  stratagem  was  defeated. 

Oliver  immediately  upon  his  arrival  wrote  a  hasty  letter  to  Worthington, 
describing  the  situation  of  the  fort,  which  he  sent  by  the  Indians.  Luckily 
their  movements  were  not  observed,  until  they  had  actually  started  from  the 
garrison  gate.  They  now  put  spurs  to  their  horses,  and  dashed  off  at  full 
speed.  The  hostile  Indians  were  instantly  in  motion  to  intercept  them  ;  the 
race  was  a  severe  and  perilous  one,  but  they  cleared  the  enemy's  line  in  safety, 
and  then  their  loud  shout  of  triumph  rose  high  in  the  air,  and  fell  like  music 
upon  the  ears  of  the  beleagured  garrison.  They  safely  delivered  the  letter, 
and  a  few  days  after,  Gen.  Harrison  arrived  with  reinforcements,  the  enemy 
having  continued  the  siege  until  within  a  few  hours  of  his  arrival,  and  that, 
too,  with  such  perseverance,  that  the  vigilance  of  the  garrison  alone  saved 
them  from  a  general  conflagration  from  the  burning  arrows  of  the  savages. 

Young  Oliver  rendered  very  important  services  at  the  two  sieges  of  Fort 
Meigs,  in  the  succeeding  year,  during  which  he  encountered  no  less  peril  than 
in  that  related.  He  was  there  as  an  officer  in  the  commissary's  department. 
Gen.  Harrison,  at  the  first  siege,  desired  some  person  to  communicate  with 
Gen.  Green  Clay,  who  was  approaching  to  its  relief  with  a  body  of  Ken- 
tucky volunteers,  and  to  direct  his  movements,  as  there  was  great  danger  of 
his  falling  into  an  ambuscade.  The  selection  of  one  suited  to  this  task  was 
of  no  small  difficulty.  The  peculiar  qualities  of  Oliver,  his  knowledge  of 
the  country,  and  of  Indian  warfare,  were  such  that  the  selection  at  once  fell 
upon  him.  This  dangerous  enterprise,  for  the  Indians  were  already  in  con- 
siderable numbers  around  the  fort,  he  successfully  executed. 

The  day  before  Oliver  reached  the  reinforcements,  Capt.  Leslie  Combs, 
filled  with  the  patriotic  ardor  of  the  Kentuckian,  volunteered  to  go  into  Fort 
Meigs,  taking  with  him  three  or  four  Shawanee  Indians,  and  an  equal  num- 
ber of  his  own  men,  to  apprise  the  garrison  of  their  approach.  When  within 
a  mile,  he  was  attacked  by  the  Indians,  and  after  a  gallant  resistance,  was 
compelled  to  retreat  with  the  loss  of  nearly  all  of  his  companions. 

Oliver,  notwithstanding,  determined  to  make  the  attempt.  Gen.  Clay  re- 
monstrated with  him  upon  its  danger,  pointed  to  the  failure  of  Combs,  and 
stated  that  it  was  impossible  to  penetrate  the  enemy's  lines.  Oliver,  in  reply, 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  277 

spoke  of  his  knowledge  of  the  country,  and  of  Indian  stratagem,  and  urged 
the  importance  of  Harrison's  knowing  his  approach,  to  form  his  plans  of  oper- 
ations for  breaking  up  the  siege.  He  finished  by  expressing  his  determina- 
tion to  go  at  all  hazards,  unless  he,  Clay,  interposed  his  absolute  command 
against  it. 

Oliver  ordered  his  boat  along  with  fifteen  picked  men  from  the  Ohio  militia, 
and  got  aboard.  As  he  was  about  leaving,  Clay  grasped  his  hand  and  said, 
"  farewell  Oliver,  we  shall  never  see  you  again !" 

Oliver  and  his  companions  approached  the  fort  about  midnight.  Every- 
thing was  in  utter  darkness,  and  the  only  evidence  of  localities  was  the  can- 
nonading from  the  enemy's  batteries  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Maumee, 
and  the  branches  of  a  tall  oak  standing  within  the  fort.  Information  having 
been  conveyed  the  day  previous  to  Harrison,  by  two  deserters,  that  the  enemv 
intended  to  assault  the  fort  that  night,  the  lights  had  been  extinguished,  arji' 
the  garrison  were  on  their  arms  awaiting  their  approach :  mistaking  Oliver  v 
party  for  their  advance,  they  were  fired  upon  by  the  sentinels,  but  without  in- 
jury. Harrison  having  had  an  interview  with  Oliver,  made  arrangements  for 
the  ensuing  day — a  day  which  is  memorable  for  the  successful  landing  of 
Clay,  the  gallant  sorties  from  the  garrison  upon  the  enemy's  batteries,  and  the 
defeat  and  massacre  of  Dudley  upon  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Maumee. 

Two  months  later,  the  British  and  Indians,  to  near  the  number  of  five 
thousand,  again  invested  Fort  Meigs.  The  post  being  then  under  the  com- 
mand of  Gen.  Clay,  that  officer  called  Oliver  to  his  quarters,  and  stated  that 
he  was  fearful  that  the  fort  would  fall  before  the  overwhelming  force  of  the 
enemy.  He  implored  Oliver  to  endeavor  to  make  his  way  through  the  In- 
dians to  Gen.  Harrison — supposed  to  be  at  Upper  Sandusky,  seventy  miles 
distant — represent  their  perilous  condition,  and  urge  his  assistance.  "  I  will," 
said  the  General,  "reward  you  liberally,  if  you  succeed  in  the  attempt." 
"  I  shall  not,"  Oliver  rejoined,  "  put  my  life  in  the  scale  against  money  or 

i  promotion.  My  country  has  higher  calls  upon  me  than  these,  and  from  a 
sense  of  duty  to  her,  I  will  make  the  trial." 

Col.  John  Miller,  of  the  19th  Regiment  United  States  Infantry,  and  after- 
ward Governor  of  Missouri,  was  in  the  fort,  second  in  command  to  Clay. 
On  learning  Oliver's  intentions,  he  accosted  him,  and  inquired  if  the  report 
was  true.  "Yes!"  was  the  answer.  "Well,"  rejoined  he,  much  excited, 
"You  are  a  fool !  by !  Why  is  it  that  you  are  always  called  upon  for 

|  these  perilous  services  ?  " 

Clay  having  requested  Oliver  to  take  with  him  any  of  his  officers  or  men, 
he  applied  to  one  of  the  regular  officers ;  but  he  had  not  sufficient  nerve,  and 

i  begged  to  be  excused.     At  length  he  succeeded  in  obtaining,  as  companions, 

JGapt.  M'Cune,  of  the  Ohio  militia  (a  man  who  knew  not  fear),  and  one  of 

i  the  Petersburg  volunteers. 

About  nine  o'clock  the  same  night,  Oliver  and  his  party  rode  out  of  the 

I  gate  of  the  fort.  Just  at  that  moment,  the  British  band  struck  up  the  tattoo 
on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Maumee  :  the  music  sounded  sweetly  across  the 
intervening  water,  serving,  in  a  great  measure,  to  drown  the  tramp  of  their 
horses. 

They  had  got  scarce  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  when  they  suddenly  came  upon 

j  a  camp  of  Indians.     Disturbed  by  the  noise  of  their  approach,  the  savages 

:  sprang  up,  and  ran  toward  them,  upon  which  they  reined  up  their  horses,  and 
awaited  the  movements  of  their  enemy.  For  a  few  moments,  their  suspense 

jwas  agonizing.  Luckily  their  animals,  as  if  endowed  with  human  intelli- 
gence, and  fully  conscious  of  the  danger,  stood  perfectly  still,  and  the  Indians 

!  passed  around  them  without  making  any  discovery  in  the  thick  darkness 


278  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

Finally,  they  moved  away  to  throw  the  party  off  their  guard ;  then  Olivei 
and  his  companions,  taking  a  different  direction,  put  spurs  to  their  horses,  and 
dashed  forward  into  the  almost  impenetrable  forest  of  the  Black  Swamp. 

M'Cune  being  unaccustomed  to  the  woods,  got  separated  from  Oliver  and 
the  other,  who  continued  on  in  the  right  direction,  the  Indians  being  in  full 
pursuit  on  horseback.  In  a  short  time  their  bodies  were  covered  with  bruises 
from  contusions  against  the  trees,  and  they  were  nearly  naked,  the  briers  and 
brambles  having  torn  off  their  clothes.  At  nine  o'clock  the  next  night,  Oliver 
arrived  at  Upper  Sandusky,  and  there  learning  that  Harrison  was  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Stephenson,  he,  notwithstanding  his  fatigue,  continued  on, 
rode  all  that  night,  and  the  next  day  about  11  A.  Si.,  arrived  at  the  General's 
camp  in  the  vicinity  of  Seneca,  after  a  continuous  ride  of  more  than  one  day 
and  two  entire  nights,  during  which  he  had  passed  over  a  hundred  miles. 

M'Cune  having  been  lost  in  the  Black  Swamp,  did  not  arrive  at  head-quar- 
ters until  the  next  day.  Harrison  wishing  to  retain  Oliver  for  other  service, 
sent  M'Cune  back  to  Gen.  Clay,  with  a  verbal  message  of  his  intentions. 
He  arrived  in  safety,  although  after  a  narrow  escape,  having  been  pursued  for 
several  miles  by  a  party  of  mounted  Indians. 

The  opportune  arrival  of  M'Cune  saved  the  fort,  as  the  intelligence  he 
brought  preserved  them  from  an  ingeniously  devised  stratagem  of  Tecumseh, 
which  was  put  into  execution  that  day,  as  we  here  relate. 

Toward  evening,  a  body  of  British  infantry  were  secreted  in  a  ravine  be- 
low the  fort,  and  the  cavalry  in  the  woods  above,  while  the  Indians,  with  a 
part  of  the  British  infantry,  were  stationed  in  a  third  direction  in  the  forest 
on  the  Sandusky  road.  About  an  hour  before  dark,  they  commenced  a  sham 
battle  on  that  road.  A  heavy  firing  of  rifles  and  muskets  was  heard;  the  In- 
dian yell  broke  upon  the  ear,  and  the  savages  were  seen  attacking  with  great 
impetuosity,  a  column  of  men,  who  were  soon  thrown  into  confusion  ;  they, 
however,  rallied,  and  in  turn  the  Indians  gave  way.  The  idea  at  once  tlew 
through  the  fort,  that  a  severe  battle  was  going  on  between  the  enemy  and  an 
approaching  body  of  reinforcements.  The  troops  flew  to  arms,  and  with 
their  officers  demanded  to  be  forthwith  led  to  the  support  of  their  friends. 
Gen.  Clay  was  unable  to  explain  the  firing,  but  wisely  concluded  from  the  in- 
formation received  in  the  morning  from  Capt.  M'Cune,  that  there  could  be 
no  reinforcements  in  the  neighborhood  of  that  fort ;  yet  it  required  all  his 
firmness  to  resist  the  importunity  of  his  officers  and  men,  to  be  led  to  the  scene 
of  action.  The  enemy  finding  that  the  garrison  could  not  be  drawn  out,  and 
a  heavy  shower  of  rain  beginning  to  fall,  terminated  their  shim  battle.  Had 
it  not  been  for  the  intelligence  conveyed  by  M'Cune,  the  garrison  would  have 
fallen  victims  to  this  admirably  planned  maneuver  and  been  totally  destroyed, 
as  they  numbered  only  a  few  hundred,  while  their  enemy  amounted  to  several 
thousand  strong. 

Although  Oliver  was,  in  this  instance,  but  the  indirect  agent  of  saving  Fort 
Meigs  from  the  horrors  of  an  Indian  massacre,  yet  when  taken  in  connection 
with  his  efforts  'in  behalf  of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Wayne,  it  is  evident  that 
but  few  individuals  have  ever  rendered  so  great  services  of  this  kind  to  their , 
country.  M'Cune,  his  companion,  died  some  few  years  since,  in  Zanesville. 
Oliver  is  now  (1851)  living  a  highly  respected  and  well  known  citizen  of 
Cincinnati. 


f 


36 


v .« 


• 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  281 


INCIDENTS  OF  EMIGRATION. 

THE  annexed  engraving  represents  a  halt  for  the  night  of  two  emigrants 
with  their  families — the  one,  perhaps,  has  left  his  native  soil,  and  the  inheri- 
tance of  his  fathers,  and  seeks  in  the  Far  West  for  that  independence  in  his 
worldly  circumstances,  which  he  has  tried  in  vain  to  gain  from  the  stony  and 
barren  patrimonial  homestead; — the  other,  perhaps,  is  one  who  has  looked  on 
his  rapidly  increasing  family,  and  ambitious  of  doing  something  for  his  chil- 
dren while  in  the  prime  of  life,  or  anxious  to  see  them  comfortably  settled 
around  him,  that  his  old  age  may  be  cheered  by  their  presence,  has  resolved 
to  go  to  the  Far  West,  the  land  which  is  represented  as  flowing  with  milk 
and  honey. 

Resolved  to  emigrate,  the  emigrant  collects  together  his  little  property,  and 
provides  himself  with  a  wagon  and  with  two  or  three  horses,  as  his  means 
permit ;  a  rifle,  a  shot  gun,  and  an  ax  slung  over  his  shoulder,  form  part  of 
his  equipment,  and  his  trusty  dog  becomes  the  companion  of  his  journey. 
In  his  wa^on  are  placed  his  bedding,  his  provisions,  and  such  cooking  utensils 
as  are  indispensably  necessary.  Everything  being  ready,  the  wife  and  chil- 
dren take  their  seats,  the  father  of  the  family  mounts  the  box,  and  now  they 
are  on  the  move.  As  they  pass  through  the  village  which  has  been  to  them 
the  scene  of  many  happy  hours,  they  take  a  last  look  at  the  spots  which  are 
hallowed  by  association ;  the  church  with  its  lowly  spire,  an  emblem  of  that 
humility  which  befits  the  Christian ;  and  the  burial-ground,  where  the  weep- 
ing willow  bends  mournfully  over  the  head-stone  which  marks  the  parent's 
grave ;  nor  do  the  children  forget  their  play  ground,  nor  the  white  school- 
house  where  the  rudiments  of  education  have  been  instilled  into  their  minds. 

Their  road  is  at  first,  comparatively  smooth,  and  their  journey  pleasant ; 
their  way  is  chequered  with  divers  little  incidents,  while  the  continual 
changes  in  the  appearance  of  the  country  around  them,  and  the  anticipation 
of  what  is  to  come,  prevent  those  feelings  of  despondency,  which  might, 
otherwise,  arise  on  leaving  a  much  loved  home.  When  the  roads  are  bad  or 
hilly,  the  family  quit  the  wagon,  and  plod  their  way  on  foot.  At  sunset, 
their  day's  journey  finished,  they  halt,  perhaps,  in  the  forest  by  the  roadside, 
to  prepare  for  supper,  and  to  pass  the  night.  The  horses  are  unharnessed, 
watered,  and  secured  with  their  heads  to  the  trough,  or  else  hobbled  out  to 
grass.  Their  frugal  supper  over,  the  emigrants  arrange  themselves  for  the 
night,  while  their  faithful  dog  keeps  watch.  Amid  all  the  privations  and 
vicissitudes  in  their  journey,  they  are  cheered  by  the  consciousness  that  each 
day  lessens  the  distance  between  them  and  the  land  of  promise,  whose  fertile 
soil  is  to  recompense  them  for  all  their  trials. 

Gradually  as  they  advance  west,  the  roads  become  more  and  more  rough, 
and  are  only  passable  in  many  places  by  logs  having  been  placed  side  by  side, 
thus  forming  what  are  termed  corduroy  roads.  The  ax  and  the  rifle  of  the 
emigrant,  or  mover,  as  he  is  termed  in  the  West,  are  now  brought  daily,  and 
almost  hourly,  into  use.  With  the  former,  he  cuts  down  saplings  or  young 
trees,  to  throw  across  the  roads,  which,  in  many  places,  are  almost  impassa- 
ble ;  with  the  latter  he  kills  squirrels,  wild  turkeys,  or  such  game  as  the 
forest  affords  him  ;  for  by  this  time,  his  provisions  are  exhausted.  If  per- 
chance a  buck  crosses  his  path,  and  is  brought  down  by  a  lucky  shot,  it  is 
carefully  dressed,  and  hung  up  in  the  forks  of  the  trees ;  fires  are  built,  and 
the  meat  is  cut  into  small  strips,  and  smoked  and  dried  for  future  subsistence. 


282  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

The  road  through  the  woods  now  becomes  intricate,  the  trees  being  merely 
felled  and  drawn  aside,  so  as  to  permit  a  wheeled  carriage  to  pass;  and  the 
emigrant  is  often  obliged  to  be  guided  in  his  route  only  by  the  blaze  of  the 
surveyor  on  the  trees,  and  at  every  few  rods  to  cut  away  the  branches  which 
obstruct  his  passage.  The  stroke  of  his  ax  reverberates  through  the  woods, 
but  no  answer  meets  the  woodsman's  ear,  to  assure  him  of  the  presence  of 
friend  or  foe.  At  night  in  these  solitudes,  he  sees  and  hears  the  wolves  steal- 
ing through  the  gloom,  and  snuffing  the  scent  of  the  intruders;  and  now  and 
then,  the  blood-shot  eye  of  the  catamount  glares  through  the  foliage. 

Days  and  weeks,  nay,  perhaps  even  months  of  unremitting  toil,  pass  before 
he  has  gained  the  end  of  his  journey.  At  length,  he  arrives  at. the  landmarks 
which  indicate  to  him  the  proximity  of  his  own  possessions.  A  location  for 
the  cabin,  is  now  selected  near  a  small  stream  of  running  water,  and  if  possi- 
ble, on  the  south  side  of  a  slight  elevation.  No  time  is  lost.  The  trees  are 
immediately  felled,  and  shortly  you  can  perceive  a  cleared  space  of  ground 
of  perhaps  a  few  rods  in  circumference.  Stakes,  forked  at  the  top,  are  driven 
into  the  ground,  on  which  are  placed  logs,  and  the  chinks  between  these  are 
stopped  with  clay.  An  inclosure  is  thus  thrown  up  hastily,  to  protect  the  in- 
mates from  the  weather.  The  trunks  of  the  trees  are  rolled  to  the  edge  of 
the  clearing,  and  surmounted  by  stakes  driven  crosswise  into  the  ground :  the 
tops  of  the  trees  are  piled  on  the  trunks,  thus  forming  a  brush  fence.  By  de- 
grees, the  surrounding  trees  are  killed  by  girdling.  Some  that  are  fit  to  make 
into  rails  are  cut  down  and  split,  while  others  are  either  left  to  rot,  or  are 
logged  up  and  burned. 

1'he  next  season  a  visible  improvement  has  taken  place.  Several  acras 
have  been  added  to  the  clearing.  The  emigrant's  residence  begins  to  assume 
the  appearance  of  a  farm.  The  brush  fence  is  replaced  by  a  worm  fence. 
The  temporary  shanty  is  transformed  into  a  comfortable  log-cabin.  And  al-  . 
though  the  chimney  is  built  of  only  small  sticks  piled  together,  and  filled  in 
between  with  clay,  and  occupies  an  end  of  the  cabin,  it  shows  that  the  inward 
man  is  duly  attended  to;  and  the  savory  fumes  of  venison,  of  the  prairie  hen, 
and  of  other  good  things,  prove  that  the  comforts  of  this  life  are  not  forgotten, 
and  that  due  respect  is  paid  to  that  important  organ  in  the  human  economy — 
the  stomach. 

In  a  few  years  or  even  months,  the  retired  cabin,  once  so  solitary,  becomes 
the  nucleus  of  a  little  settlement ;  other  sections  and  quarter  sections  of  land 
are  entered  at  the  land  office,  by  new  comers.  New  portions  of  ground  are 
cleared,  cabins  are  erected ;  and  in  a  short  time,  the  settlement  can  turn  out 
a  dozen  efficient  hands  for  a  raising  bee,  or  logging  bee,  tyc.,  tyc.  A  saw- 
mill is  soon  in  operation,  on  one  of  the  neighboring  streams;  the  log-huts 
receive  a  poplar  weather  boarding,  and  as  the  little  settlement  increases,  a 
school-house  and  church  appear;  a  mail  is  established,  and  before  many 
years  elapse,  a  fine  road  is  made  to  the  nearest  town ;  a  stage-coach,  which 
runs  once  or  twice  a-week,  connects  the  place  with  the  populous  county  to 
the  east  of  it. 

A  generation  passes  over.  The  log  buildings  have  all  disappeared.  In 
their  places  stand  handsome  edifices  of  brick  or  wood,  painted  of  a  pure 
white,  and  the  settlement  has  all  the  conveniences  and  refinements  of  its 
parent  settlements  on  the  Atlantic  frontier.  The  emigrant  himself,  is  now 
an  aged  man.  His  locks  are  silvered  by  time.  His  toils  are  over.  Some 
fine  summer's  evening,  he  may  be  seen  seated  in  the  porch  of  his  dwelling, 
his  frank,  open  countenance  beaming  with  delight,  as  he  relates  the  tale  of 
his  early  adventures  to  his  little  grandchildren,  who,  clustering  about  his 
knees,  drink  in  every  word  with  intense  interest. 


FRONTIER  LIFE—NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  283 


THE  PUBLIC  DOMAIN. 

AT  the  formation  of  the  Federal  Government,  all  the  lands  not  owned  by 
individuals,  belonged  to  the  States  respectively,  within  whose  limits  they 
wore  situated;  for  as  that  government  consisted  of  a  confederacy  of  States, 
pach  of  which  retained  its  proprietary  rights,  and  proper  sovereignty,  the 
United  States  acquired  by  the  Union  no  property  in  the  soil.  The  unin- 
habited wilds  lying  to  the  west,  and  as  yet  not  clearly  defined  by  established 
boundaries,  were  claimed  by  the  adjacent  States,  and  portions  of  them  by 
foreign  nations  under  conflicting  claims,  but  all  subject  tfo  the  paramount  In- 
dian title.  The  title,  therefore,  of  the  United  States  to  that  country  is  derived: 
1.  From  treaties  with  foreign  nations;  2.  From  treaties  with  the  Indian 
tribes;  and — 3.  From  cessions  by  individual  States,  members  of  the  Union. 

The  treaties  with  foreign  nations,  by  which  territory  has  been  acquired, 
are  those  of  1783  and  1794,  with  Great  Britain,  of  1795  and  1820,  with 
Spain,  and  of  1803,  with  France.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  of  these  treaties, 
that  by  them  we  acquired  Louisiana  and  the  Floridas,  and  extinguished  all 
the  claims  of  foreign  nations  to  the  immense  regions  lying  west  of  the  several 
States,  and  extending  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  The  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  contained  within  the  boundaries  designated  by  the  treaty  with  Great 
Britain  of  1783,  were  claimed  by  individual  States,  and  the  title  of  the  United 
States  to  that  territory  is  derived  from  cessions  made  by  those  States. 

These  cessions  embrace  three  distinct  tracts  of  country. 

1.  The  whole  territory  north  of  the  river  Ohio,  and  west  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Virginia,  extending  northwardly  to  the  northern  boundary  of  the  United 
States,  and  westwardly  to  the  Mississippi,  was  claimed  by  Virginia,  and  that 
State  was  in  possession  of  the  French  settlements  of  Vincennes  and  Kaskas- 
kia,  which  she  had  occupied   and  defended  during  the  revolutionary  war. 
The  States  of  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and  New  York,  set  up,  to  portions- 
of  the  same  territory,  claims,  which  though  scarcely  plausible,  were  urgently 
pressed  upon  the  consideration  of  Congress.     The  United  States,  by  cessions, 
from  those  four  States,  acquired  an  indisputable  title  to  the  whole.     This, 
tract  now  comprises  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and  Michigan. 

2.  North  Carolina  ceded  to  the  United  States  all  her  vacant  lands  lying- 
west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains  within  the  breadth  of  her  charter.     This, 
territory  is  comprised  within  the  State  of  Tennessee. 

3.  South  Carolina  and  Georgia  ceded  their  titles  to  that  tract  of  country 
which  now  composes  the  States  of  Alabama  and  Mississippi. 

The  earliest  law  passed  by  Congress,  for  the  sale  of  the  lands  of  the  United' 
States,  provided  for  its  disposal  to  purchasers,  in  tracts  of  four  thousand  acres, 
each;  and  did  not  allow  the  selling  of  a -smaller  quantity,  except  in  case  of 
the  fractions  created  by  the  angles  and  sinuosities  of  the  rivers.  The  law 
was  highly  unfavorable  to  actual  settlers,  as  it  prevented  persons  of  moderate 
property  from  acquiring  freeholds;  and  would  have  enabled  persons  of  wealth 
to  become  proprietors,  and  to  sell  the  land  to  the  cultivator  at  exorbitant 
prices,  or  else  have  forced  the  latter  to  be  tenants  under  the  former.  With; 
the  notions  that  many  of  our  statesmen  had  derived  from  Great  Britain,  and- 
which,  notwithstanding  the  recent  rupture  of  our  connection  with  that  country,, 
still  remained  impressed  upon  us,  with  all  the  force  of  education  and  associa- 
tion, it  is  perhaps  not  surprising,  that  they  should  have  deemed  it  advanta- 
geous to  create  a  landed  aristocracy;  but  it  is  more  probable,  that  the  error 
arose  from  accident  and  carelessness.  It  is  curious,  however,  to  look  back  at 


HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

these  first  awkward  attempts  at  republican  legislation,  and  to  see  how  gradu- 
ally we  shook  off  the  habits  of  thought  in  which  we  had  been  trained,  and 
how  slowly  the  shackles  of  prejudice  fell  from  around  us. 

The  first  step  toward  a  change  in  that  objectionable  system,  which  con- 
templated sales  in  large  tracts,  and  on  credit,  was  the  passage  of  the 
act  of  the  10th  of  May  1800,  which  provided  for  the  sale  of  land  in  sections 
and  half  sections. 

The  plan  of  selling  land  in  sections  and  half  sections,  the  former  of  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  and  the  latter  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres, 
was  first  proposed  in  Congress  by  General  William  H.  Harrison,  when  a 
delegate  from  the  northwestern  territory,  in  1799,  and  produced  a  sensation 
which  showed  how  little  mature  thought  had  been  bestowed  on  the  subject  in 
that  body.  The  law  was  certainly  one  of  the  most  beneficial  tendency  ;  and 
its  passage  constitutes  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  this  country,  of  perhaps 
greater  magnitude  and  interest  than  any  other  in  our  annals ;  for  no  act  of  the 
government  has  ever  borne  so  immediately  upon  the  settling,  the  rapid  im- 
provement, and  the  permanent  prosperity  of  the  western  States.  The  ordi- 
nance of  1787,  is  justly  regarded  as  an  instrument  of  vast  importance,  and  sin- 
gularly propitious  consequences;  but  in  its  practical  operation  and  salutary 
results,  it  sinks  in  comparison  with  the  system  of  selling  the  public  domain, 
which  has  placed  the  acquisition  of  real  estate  within  the  reach  of  the  labor- 
ing classes,  and  rendered  the  titles  to  land  perfectly  secure.  It  is  understood, 
that  this  act  was  not  the  exclusive  production  of  General  Harrison;  the  dis- 
criminating genius  of  Mr.  Gallatin,  then  a  member  of  Congress,  was  also 
employed  in  its  production;  and  although  the  earnest  request  of  that  distin- 
guished citizen,  and  the  circumstances  of  the  moment,  forced  Mr.  Harrison 
to  submit  to  the  credit  of  being  its  sole  author,  the  natural  ingenuousness  of 
•the  latter  induced  him,  subsequently,  when  he  could  do  so  with  propriety,  to 
explain  his  own  part  in  the  proceeding,  and  to  give  Mr.  Gallatin  the  honor 
•due  him.  The  bill  was  warmly  attacked  by  some  of  the  ablest  men  in  the 
lower  house.  Mr.  Harrison  defended  it  alone;  he  exposed  the  folly  and  ini- 
quity of  the  old  system ;  demonstrated  that  it  could  only  result  to  the  benefit 
•of  the  wealthy  monopolist,  while  the  hardy  and  useful  population,  which  has 
.since  poured  into  the  fertile  plains  of  Ohio,  and  made  it  in  thirty  years,  the 
.third  State  in  the  Union,  must  have  been  excluded  from  her  borders,  or  have 
*taken  the  land  on  terms  dictated  by  the  wealthy  purchasers  from  the  govern- 
ment. 

In  1802,  a  convention  was  held  at  Vincennes,  of  which  General  Harrison 
-was  president,  at  which  a  petition  was  adopted,  praying  of  Congress,  that  a 
provision  of  one  thirty-sixtn  part  of  the  public  lands  within  the  territory  of 
Indiana,  be  made  for  the  support  of  schools  within  the  same ;  and  on  the 
:2d  of  March  succeeding,  Mr.  Randolph,  the  chairman  of  a  committee  to  whom 
this  subject  was  referred,  made  a  favorable  report.  This  was  the  commence- 
iment  of  our  beneficent  system  for  the  support  of  public  schools. 

As  early  as  1803,  petitions  were  presented  to  Congress,  praying  for  various 
improvements  or  changes  in  the  mode  of  selling  lands,  among  which  the  most 
'prominent  suggestions  were:  to  sell  the  land  in  smaller  tracts — to  charge  no 
•interest  on  sales — to  sell  for  cash — to  reduce  the  price — and  to  make  grants 
•of  small  tracts  to  actual  settlers. 

On  the  23d  January  1804,  a  report  was  made  in  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, recommending  the  reduction  of  the  size  of  the  tracts,  and  the  sale  of 
quarter  sections  in  the  townships  which  had  before  been  offered  in  half  sec- 
tions, and  the  sale  of  half  sections  in  those  which  had  been  offered  in  whole 
^sections. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  285 

The  present  admirable  system  of  selling  the  public  lands,  may  be  dated  as 
having  commenced  with  the  act  of  May  10,  1800,  though  several  important 
improvements  have  been  made  since  that  time.  It  is  not  necessary  to  notice 
all  these  changes.  All  the  lands  within  each  district,  are  surveyed  before 
any  part  is  offered  for  sale ;  being  actually  divided  into  townships  of  six  miles 
square,  and  each  of  these  subdivided  into  thirty-six  sections  of  one  mile 
square,  containing  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  each.  All  the  dividing  lines 
run  according  to  the  cardinal  points,  and  cross  each  other  at  right  angles,  ex- 
cept where  fractional  sections  are  formed  by  large  streams,  or  by  an  Indian 
boundary  line.  These  sections  are  again  divided  into  quarter,  half-quarter, 
and  quarter-quarter  sections,  containing  one  hundred  and  sixty,  eighty,  and 
forty  acres  respectively,  of  which  the  lines  are  not  actually  surveyed,  but  the 
corners,  boundaries,  and  contents,  are  ascertained  by  fixed  rules  prescribed 
by  law. 

Previous  to  the  year  1820,  the  price  demanded  by  government  for  its  land, 
was  two  dollars  per  acre,  one-fourth  of  which  was  paid  at  the  time  of  pur- 
chase, and  the  remainder  in  three  equal  annual  instalments;  a  discount  of 
eight  per  cent  being  allowed  to  the  purchaser,  if  the  whole  was  paid  in  ad- 
vance. This  arrangement,  however  liberally  intended,  wras  found  to  be  pro- 
ductive of  great  mischief.  Large  purchases  were  made  by  individuals,  who 
had  not  the  means  of  payment.  Persons  who  had  only  money  enough  to  pay 
the  first  instalment  on  one  or  more  tracts,  disbursed  their  whole  capital  in 
making  the  prompt  payment  required  at  the  time  of  entry,  depending  on  fu- 
ture contingencies  for  the  power  to  discharge  the  other  three-fourths  of  their 
liabilities.  This  was  done,  in  most  cases,  without  the  least  intention  to 
defraud ;  the  risk  of  loss  being  entirely  on  the  side  of  the  purchaser,  and  the 
allurement  to  make  the  venture,  such  as  few  men  have  the  resolution  to  with- 
stand. A  rapid  increase  in  the  value  of  lands  was  generally  anticipated,  and 
many  expected  to  meet  their  engagements  by  selling  a  portion  of  the  land  at 
an  enhanced  price,  and  thus  securing  the  portion  retained;  some  were  enticed 
by  a  desire  to  secure  choice  tracts,  and  others  deluded  by  the  belief  that  they 
could  raise  the  sums  required,  within  the  appointed  time,  by  the  sale  of  pro- 
duce made  on  the  soil.  A  few,  by  industry,  or  by  good  fortune,  realized 
these  anticipations,  but  a  great  majority  of  the  purchasers,  at  the  expiration 
of  the  term  limited  for  the  payment  of  the  last  instalment,  found  their  lands 
subject  to  forfeiture  for  nonpayment.  Instead  of  rising,  the  price  of  land  had 
fallen,  in  consequence  of  the  vast  quantities  thrown  into  the  market;  and  the 
increase  in  the  amount  of  produce  raised,  so  far  exceeded  the  increase  of  de- 
mand for  consumption,  that  the  farmer  was  unable  to  realize  any  considerable 
profit  from  that  source,  while  the  expenses  of  clearing  and  improving  his  farm 
required  both  labor  and  money.  Money  was  scarce,  the  country  was  new, 
without  capitalists,  moneyed  institutions,  or  manufacturers,  and  with  little 
commerce;  and  while  the  sale  glands,  and  the  importation  of  foreign  goods, 
required  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  people,  constituted  an  immense  and  an 
eternal  drain  of  the  circulating  medium,  across  the  mountains,  the  industry  of 
the  people  was  not  yet  brought  into  action,  nor  the  resources  of  the  country 
developed,  to  a  sufficient  extent  to  afford  the  means  of  bringing  the  money 
back.  Ours  was  a  population  of  buyers.  The  derqand  for  money  induced 
the  establishment  of  local  banks,  whose  notes  were  at  first  eagerly  taken,  but 
soon  depreciated,  having  the  usual  effect  of  driving  better  money  out  of  cir- 
culation, without  substituting  any  valuable  medium  in  its  place.  Bank  debts 
were  added  to  land  debts.  This  state  of  things  existed  chiefly  from  1814 
until  1820. 

A  period  of  distress  occurred  which  reached  its  lowest  point  of  depression^ 


286  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

in  1819.  The  whole  population  trembled  upon  the  brink  of  ruin;  and  had 
the  federal  government  proved  a  rigid  creditor,  this  extensive  and  beautiful 
country  must  have  presented  a  vast  scene  of  desolation.  The  purchasers  of 
land  had  become  settlers ;  they  had  built  houses  and  opened  fields  upon  the 
soil,  the  legal  title  to  which  remained  in  the  government.  A  few  could  have 
saved  their  homes  by  the  disposal  of  other  property;  the  many  could  not 
purchase  the  roof  that  sheltered  them,  at  any  sacrifice  which  they  might  have 
been  willing,  or  perhaps  able,  to  make.  Yet  it  is  not  to  be  inferred  that  the 
people  were  destitute,  or  desperately  poor ;  far  from  it — they  were  substantial 
farmers,  surrounded  with  all  the  means  of  comfort  and  happiness — except 
money.  To  have  driven  such  a  people  to  extremity,  would  have  been  un- 
generous and  fatally  unwise;  for  now  that  the  crisis  has  passed,  we  may  say 
without  offense  or  danger,  that  there  is  no  calculating  the  extent  of  the  pri- 
vate misery,  and  the  public  convulsion,  which  such  a  policy  would  inevitably 
have  produced.  The  enlightened  statesman  (Mr.  Crawford),  who  at  that 
time  presided  over  the  Treasury  department,  saw,  and  properly  estimated  the 
wants  and  feelings  of  that  part  of  the  community,  together  with  the  relative 
duty  of  the  government.  A  system  of  relief  was  devised,  which,  by  extend- 
ing the  time  of  payment,  and  authorizing  purchasers  to  secure  a  portion  of  their 
lands  by  relinquishing  the  remainder  to  the  government,  in  the  course  of  eight 
years  extinguished  a  large  portion  of  those  debts,  and  has  eventually,  it  is  be- 
lieved, absorbed  the  whole,  without  injury  to  the  citizen,  and  with  little  loss 
to  the  government.  Upon  granting  relief  to  the  land  purchasers,  the  credit 
system  was  abolished;  and  lands  are  now  sold  by  the  government  at  one 
dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre,  payable  in  cash. 


THE  RANGER'S  ADVENTURE. 


THOMAS  HIGGINS,  a  native  Kentuckian,  in  the  late  war  enlisted  in  a  com- 
pany of  rangers,  and  was  stationed,  in  the  summer  of  1814,  in  a  block-house 
or  station,  eight  miles  south  of  Greenville,  in  what  is  now  Bond  County,  Illi- 
nois.  On  the  evening  of  the  30th  of  August,  a  small  party  of  Indians  having 
been  seen  prowling  about  the  station,  Lieut.  Journay  with  all  his  men,  twelve 
only  in  number,  sallied  forth  the  next  morning  just  before  daylight,  iri  pursuit 
of  them.  They  had  not  proceeded  far  on  the  border  of  the  prairie,  before 
they  were  in  an  ambuscade  of  seventy  or  eighty  savages.  At  the  first  fire, 
the  Lieutenant  and  three  of  his  men  were  killed.  Six  Bed  to  the  i'ort  under 
cover  of  the  smoke,  for  the  morning  was  sultry,  and  the  air  being  damp,  th»» 
smoke  from  the  guns  hung  like  a  cloud  over  the  scene;  but  Higgins  remained 
behind  to  have  "  one  more  pull  at  the  enemy,"  and  avenge  the  death  of  his 
companions.  • 

He  sprang  behind  a  small  elm,  scarcely  sufficient  to  protect  his  body,  when, 
the  smoke  partly  rising,  discovered  to  him  a  number  of  Indians,  upon  which1 
he  fired,  and  shot  down  the  foremost  one. 

Concealed  still  by  the  smoke,  Higgins  reloaded,  mounted  his  horse,  and 
turned  to  fly,  when  a  voice,  apparently  from  the  grass,  hailed  him  with: 
"  Tom,  you  won't  leave  me,  will  you?"  He  turned  immediately  around,  and 


Higgi 

dismounted,  and  taking  up  his  friend,  whose  ankle  had  "been  broken,  was 
about  to  lift  him  on  his  horse,  when  the  animal  taking  fright,  darted  off  in  an 
instant,  and  left  them  both  behind.  "This  is  too  bad,"  said  Higgins  ;  "  but 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL    CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  287 

don't  fear ;  you  hop  off  on  your  three  legs,  and  I'll  stay  behind  between  you 
and  the  Indians,  and  keep  them  off.  Get  into  the  tallest  grass,  and  crawl  as 
near  the  ground  as  possible."  Burgess  did  so,  and  escaped. 

The  smoke,  which  had  hitherto  concealed  Higgins,  now  cleared  away,  and 
he  resolved,  if  possible,  to  retreat.  To  follow  the  track  of  Burgess  was  most 
expedient.  It  would,  however,  endanger  his  friend.  He  determined,  there- 
fore,  to  venture  boldly  forward,  and,  if  discovered,  to  secure  his  own  safety 
by  the  rapidity  of  his  flight.  On  leaving  a  small  thicket,  in  which  he  had 
sought  refuge,  he  discovered  a  tall,  portly  savage  near  by,  and  two  others  in 
a  direction  between  him  and  the  fort.  He  paused  for  a  moment,  and  thought 
if  he  could  separate,  and  hVht  them  singly,  his  case  was  not  so  desperate. 
He  started,  therefore,  for  a  little  rivulet  near,  but  found  one  of  his  limbs  fail- 
ing him — it  having  been  struck  by  a  ball  in  the  first  encounter,  of  which,  till 
now,  he  was  scarcely  conscious.  The  largest  Indian  pressed  close  upon  him, 
and  Higgins  turned  round  two  or  three  times  in  order  to  fire.  The  Indian 
halted  and  danced  about  to  prevent  his  taking  aim.  He  saw  it  was  unsafe  to 
fire  at  random,  and  perceiving  two  others  approaching,  knew  he  must  be  over- 
powered in  a  moment,  unless  he  could  dispose  of  the  forward  Indian  first. 
He  resolved,  therefore,  to  halt  and  receive  his  fire.  The  Indian  raised  his 
rifie  ;  and  Higgins,  watching  his  eye,  turned  suddenly,  as  his  finger  pressed 
the  trigger,  and  received  the  ball  in  his  thigh.  He  fell,  but  rose  immediately 
and  ran.  The  foremost  Indian,  now  certain  of  his  prey,  loaded  again,  and 
with  the  other  two  pressed  on.  They  overtook  him — he  fell  again,  and  as  he 
rose,  the  whole  three  fired,  and  he  received  all  their  balls.  He  now  fell  and 
rose  a  third  time  ;  and  the  Indians,  throwing  away  their  guns,  advanced  upon 
him  with  spears  and  knives.  As  he  presented  his  gun  at  one  or  the  other, 
each  fell  back.  At  last,  the  largest  Indian,  supposing  his  gun  to  be  empty, 
from  his  fire  having  been  thus  reserved,  advanced  boldly  to  the  charge.  Hig- 
gins fired,  and  the  savage  fell. 

He  had  now  four  bullets  in  his  body — an  empty  gun  in  his  hand — two  In- 
dians unharmed,  as  yet,  before  him — and  a  whole  tribe  but  a  few  yards  dis- 
tant. Any  other  man  would  have  despaired.  Not  so  with  him.  He  had 
slain  the  most  dangerous  of  the  three ;  and  having  little  to  fear  from  the 
others,  began  to  load  his  rifle.  They  raised  a  savage  whoop,  and  rushed  to 
the  encounter.  A  bloody  conflict  now  ensued.  The  Indians  stabbed  him  in 
several  places.  Their  spears,  however,  were  but  thin  poles,  hastily  prepared, 
and  bent  whenever  they  struck  a  rib  or  a  muscle.  The  wounds  they  made 
were  not,  therefore,  deep,  though  numerous. 

At  last  one  of  them  threw  his  tomahawk.  It  struck  him  upon  the  cheek, 
severed  his  ear,  laid  bare  his  skull  to  the  back  of  his  head,  and  stretched  him 
upon  the  prairie.  The  Indians  again  rushed  on  :  but  Higgins,  recovering  his 
self-possession,  kept  them  off  with  his  feet  and  hands.  Grasping,  at  length, 
one  of  their  spears,  the  Indian,  in  attempting  to  pull  it  from  him,  raised  Hig- 
gins up ;  who,  taking  his  rifle,  dashed  out  the  brains  of  the  nearest  savage. 
In  doing  so,  however,  it  broke — the  barrel  only  remaining  in  his  hand.  The 
other  Indian,  who  had,  heretofore,  fought  with  caution,  came  now  manfully 
into  the  battle.  His  character  as  a  warrior  was  in  jeopardy.  To  have  fled 
from  a  man  thus  wounded  and  disarmed,  or  to  have  suffered  his  victim  to  es- 
cape, would  have  tarnished  his  fame  forever.  Uttering,  therefore,  a  terrific 
yell,  he  rushed  on,  and  attempted  to  stab  the  exhausted  ranger ;  but  the  latter 
warded  off  his  blow  with  one  hand,  and  brandished  his  rifle-barrel  with  the 
other.  The  Indian  was,  as  yet,  unharmed,  and  under  existing  circumstances, 
by  far  the  most  powerful  man.  Higgins's  courage,  however,  was  unexhausted 
aad  inexhaustible.  The  savage,  at  last,  be^n  to  retreat  from  the  glare  of  his 
36 


288  HISTORICAL,  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES.. 

untamed  eye,  to  the  spot  where  he  dropped  his  rifle.  Higgins  knew  that  if 
he  recovered  that,  his  own  case  was  desperate ;  throwing,  therefore,  his  rifle- 
barrel  aside,  and  drawing  his  hunting-knife,  he  rushed  upon  his  foe.  A  des- 
perate strife  ensued — deep  gashes  were  inflicted  on  both  sides.  Higgins, 
fatigued,  and  exhausted  by  the  loss  of  blood,  was  no  longer  a  match  for  the 
savage.  The  latter  succeeded  in  throwing  his  adversary  from  him,  and  went 
immediately  in  pursuit  of  his  rifle.  Higgins,  at  the  same  time,  rose  and 
sought  for  the  gun  of  the  other  Indian.  Both,  therefore,  bleeding  and  out  of 
breath,  were  in  search  of  arms  to  renew  the  combat. 

The  smoke  had  now  passed  away,  and  a  large  number  of  Indians  were  in 
view.  Nothing,  it  would  seem,  could  now  save  the  gallant  ranger.  There 
was,  however,  an  eye  to  pity,  and  an  arm  to  save — and  that  arm  was  a 
woman's!  The  little  garrison  had  witnessed  the  whole  combat.  It  consisted 
of  but  six  men  and  one  woman:  that  woman,  however,  was  a  host — a  Mrs. 
Pursley.  When  she  saw  Higgins  contending,  single-handed,  with  a  whole 
tribe  of  savages,  she  urged  the  rangers  to  attempt  his  rescue.  The  rangers 
objected,  as  the  Indians  were  ten  to  one.  Mrs.  Pursley,  therefore,  snatched 
a  rifle  from  her  husband's  hand,  and  declaring  that  "  so  fine  a  fellow  as  Tom 
Higgins  should  not  be  lost  for  want  of  help,"  mounted  a  horse,  and  sallied 
forth  to  his  rescue.  The  men,  unwilling  to  be  outdone  by  a  woman,  followed 
at  full  gallop — reached  the  spot  where  Higgins  fainted  and  fell,  before  the  In- 
dians came  up  ;  and  while  the  savage  with  whom  he  had  been  engaged,  was 
looking  for  his  rifle,  his  friends  lifted  the  wounded  ranger  up,  and  throwing 
him  across  a  horse  before  one  of  the  party,  reached  the  fort  in  safety. 

Higgins  was  insensible  for  several  days,  and  his  life  was  preserved  by  con- 
tinual care.  His  friends  extracted  two  of  the  balls  from  his  thigh;  two, 
however,  yet  remained — one  of  which  gave  him  a  good  deal  of  pain.  Hear- 
ing, afterward,  that  a  physician  had  settled  within  a  day's  ride  of  him,  he 
determined  to  go  and  see  him.  The  physician  asked  him  fifty  dollars  for  the 
operation.  This  Higgins  flatly  refused,  saying  it  was  more  than  a  half  year's 
pension.  On  reaching  home,  he  found  the  exercise  of  riding  had  made  the 
Dall  discernible  ;  he  requested  his  wife,  therefore,  to  hand  him  his  razor. 
With  her  assistance  he  laid  open  his  thigh,  until  the  edge  of  the  razor 
touched  the  bullet;  then  inserting  his  two  thumbs  into  the  gash,  "he  flirted 
it  out,"  as  he  used  to  say,  "  without  costing  him  a  cent."  The  other  ball 
yet  remained ;  it  gave  him,  however,  but  little  pain,  and  he  carried  it  with 
him  to  his  grave.  Higgins  died  in  Fayette  County,  Illinois,  a  few  years 
since.  He  was  the  most  perfect  specimen  of  a  frontier  man  in  his  day,  and 
was  once  assistant  door-keeper  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  in  Illinois. 
The  facts  above  stated,  are  familiar  to  many,  to  whom  Higgins  was  person- 
ally known,  and  there  is  no  doubt  of  their  correctness. 


WILD  BILL,  OR  THE  MISSISSIPPI  ORSON. 

WILD  BILL,  or  the  Mississippi  Orson,  as  he  has  been  called,  was  secured 
about  the  year  Ib09,  in  the  Mississippi  swamp,  not  far  trom  the  site  of  Pinck- 
neyviile.  The  circumstances  that  led  to  his  being  taken,  were  these.  Some 
persons  who  had  recently  settled  in  the  vicinity,  saw  on  the  margins  of  the 
swamps,  the  pants  of  the  bare  foot  or  a  young  person,  and  on  close  examin  i- 
tion,  they  soon  discovered  a  naked  boy  walking  with  the  gait,  and  in  ttie 
manner  oi'  a  wild  animal,  on  the  shore  of  one  oi  the  lakes  that  abound  in  that 
region.  His  object  was  to  catch  trogs,  a  species  of  hunting  at  which  lie 
seemed  very  expert.  When  he  had  caught  them,  he  devoured  them  raw. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  289 

The  discoverer  attempted  to  approach  him ;  but  so  soon  as  the  wild  lad  saw 
him,  he  fled  with  the  usual  terror  of  an  untamed  creature  at  the  sight  of  man, 
toward  a  lake,  into  which  he  plunged,  diving  and  swimming  with  the  ease  of 
an  amphibious  animal. 

These  occurrences  naturally  excited  much  interest  among  the  settlers;  and 
they  collected  in  a  body  to  make  a  united  effort  to  take  him.  After  hunting 
for  him  for  some  time,  they  at  length  discovered  him  under  a  Persimmon  tree, 
eating  the  fruit.  As  soon  as  he  observed  his  pursuers,  he  fled  as  before, 
doubling  like  a  fox,  and  making  again  for  the  water.  Excusing  themselves 
by  their  motive,  the  hunters  adopted  their  usual  expedient  for  catching  ani- 
mals. They  put  their  dogs  on  the  trail  of  the  strange  game.  They  soon 
tired  him  down  and  brought  him  to  bay.  Though  no  metaphysicians  to  form 
mental  theorems  out  of  the  case  of  their  new  conquest,  they  discovered  that 
the  two-legged  unfeathered  creature,  had  the  natural  instinct  of  fight — for  he 
had  made  battle  upon  dogs  and  men  with  the  full  amount  of  courage  and  fero- 
city that  might  be  expected  from  his  age  and  physical  strength.  But,  although 
he  fought  like  any  other  animal,  he  was  compelled  to  yield  to  numbers,  and 
was  fairly  caught  and  bound. 

He  was  then,  it  is  supposed,  not  far  from  nine  years  old,  naked,  and  per- 
fectly speechless.  His  form  was  slender,  but  well-proportioned,  and  capable 
of  extreme  agility.  His  eyes  were  brilliant;  his  hair  sandy,  and  his  com- 
plexion florid;  a  circumstance  which  may  be  accounted  for,  by  his  having 
lived  almost  entirely  in  the  deep  shades  of  the  forest.  Woodville  was  the 
nearest  considerable  settlement,  and  thither  he  was  carried  and  placed  in  the 
family  of  Mr.  Benjamin  Rollins  for  domestication. 

In  two  years  after  his  capture,  he  had  made  some  progress  in  learning  to 
converse  ;  he  was  also  quite  intelligible,  although  he  had  a  wild  look,  perfectly 
indicative  of  his  name.  It  was  more  difficult  to  overcome  his  appetite  for 
raw  flesh,  than  to  learn  him  to  speak.  The  love  of  the  excitement  of  alcohol 
seems  to  be  another  common  appetite  of  the  man  of  nature,  for  he  soon  mani- 
fested an  unconquerable  longing  for  spirits  in  any  form,  especially  when  ren- 
dered sweet, — upon  which  he  became  intoxicated  whenever  he  had  an  oppor- 
tunity. Whether  he  discovered  the  usual  developments  of  the  other  animal 
propensities  we  do  not  know;  but  he  always  remained  a  wild  animal  in  the 
fierceness  of  his  temper.  When  playing  with  lads  of  his  age,  the  moment 
his  passions  were  aroused  in  any  way,  his  first  movement  was  to  strike  them 
with  whatever  instrument  was  nearest  at  hand.  After  his  partial  domestica- 
tion they  attempted  to  put  him  at  work;  but  he  showed  a  truly  savage  dis- 
relish for  labor.  He  was  sure  to  run  away,  generally  making  for  the  town, 
where  his  amusement  was  to  mount  on  horseback,  whenever  he  was  allowed 
the  opportunity.  Riding  was  his  passion,  and  he  would  successively  mount 
every  horse  in  the  livery  stable,  for  the  pleasure  of  riding  him  to  water.  In 
other  respects,  he  was  quick  and  intelligent,  and  his  appearance  rather  agree- 
able and  prepossessing. 

The  training  which  he  received,  was  either  unfavorable  to  a  good  mental 
development,  or  it  had  originally  been  denied  him  by  nature ;  for  he  became 
quarrelsome,  addicted  to  drunkenness,  and  not  at  all  a  lover  of  the  truth. 
Consequently,  a  good  deal  of  doubt  and  uncertainty  must  rest  upon  his  ac- 
count of  his  early  recollections,  though  they  were  so  often  repeated,  and  so 
nearly  in  the  same  form,  as  to  have  gained  credence  with  the  people  among 
whom  he  lived.  He  stated  that  he  had  a  dim  remembrance  of  coming 
down  the  Mississippi  with  his  father's  family  in  a  flat-boat — that  the  boat 
landed — that  his  father  killed  his  mother — and  that  he  fled  in  terror  into  the 
swamps,  expecting  that  his  father  would  kill  him  also;  and  that  from  that 


290  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

time  he  had  subsisted  on  frogs,  animals,  and  berries, — living  in  warm  weather 
among  the  cane,  and  in  cold  weather,  in  a  hollow  tree. 

It  is  extremely  unfortunate  that  so  few  details  of  the  character  and  domes- 
tication of  Wild  Bill  remain.  He  died,  it  is  believed,  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
or  nineteen;  that  is  near  the  year  1818,  after  a  domestication  of  about  nine 
years. 


THE  FANATICAL  PILGRIMS. 

THE  principles  of  religious  fanaticism,  ever  appear  similar  in  their  mani- 
festations ;  the  same  intolerant  bigotry,  the  same  superabundant  zeal,  the 
greater  in  proportion  to  the  ignorance  of  the  subjects,  and  the  same  arrogant 
assumptions  have  always  been  exhibited  in  the  history  of  fanaticism.  With 
the  character  of  the  Mormon  delusion,  the  public  are  familiar.  Not  so  with 
perhaps,  a  more  singular  class  of  enthusiasts,  known  by  the  name  of  "the  Pil- 
grims," who  emigrated  from  the  north  to  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  about 
the  year  1817.  A  gentleman  who  resided  a  few  years  later  as  a  missionary 
on  the  Arkansas  at  the  Post,  about  fifty  miles  from  its  mouth,  met  in  that  vi- 
cinity, with  the  wretched  remains  of  that  singular  class  of  enthusiasts,  dwin- 
dled down  by  sickness  and  misfortune,  to  only  six  persons,  "the  prophet" 
and  his  family.  They  were  sick  and  living  in  poverty;  and  the  rags  with 
which  they  were  originally  habited,  to  excite  attention,  and  to  be  in  keeping 
with  their  name  and  assumption,  were  then  retained  from  necessity.  From 
the  wife  of  the  prophet  and  other  sources,  he  gleaned  the  information  which 
follows,  of  their  origin,  progress,  and  end. 

It  seems  that  the  fermenting  principles  of  the  society,  began  to  operate  in 
Lower  Canada.  A  few  religious  people  began  to  talk  about  the  deadness 
and  unworthiness  of  all  churches  as  bodies,  and  they  were  anxious  to  separ- 
ate from  them  in  order  to  form  a  more  perfect  society.  The  enthusiasm 
caught  in  other  minds,  like  a  spark  fallen  in  flax.  A  number  immediately 
sold  everything  and  prepared  to  commence  a  course  toward  the  southwest. 
In  their  progress  through  Vermont,  they  came  in  contact  with  other  minds 
affected  with  the  same  longing  with  themselves,  and  doubtless  most  of  them 
perfectly  honest.  The  "prophet,"  a  compound  of  hypocrite  and  enthusiast, 
joined  himself  to  them,  and  from  his  superior  talents  or  contributions  to  the 
common  stock  of  the  society,  became  their  leader. 

They  went  on  accumulating  through  New  York;  when  their  numbers  . 
amounted  to  nearly  fifty.  There  they  encountered  the  Shakers,  and  as  they 
had  some  notions  in  common,  a  kind  of  coalition  was  attempted  with  them. 
But  the  Shakers  are  neat  and  industrious,  to  a  proverb;  but  industry  made 
but  little  part  of  the  religion  of  the  Pilgrims,  and  neatness  still  less;  for  it 
was  a  maxim  with  them  to  wear  their  clothes  as  long  as  they  would  last  on 
the  body,  without  washing  or  changing;  and  the  more  patched  or  particolored, 
the  better.  If  they  wore  one  whole  shoe,  the  other — like  the  pretended  pil- 
grim of  old  time — was  clouted  and  patched.  They  made  it  a  point,  in  short, 
to  be  as  ragged  and  dirty  as  might  be. 

Of  course,  after  a  long  debate  with  the  Shakers, — in  which  they  insisted 
upon  industry,  cleanliness,  and  parting  from  their  wives,  proving  abundantly, 
and  quoting  profusely,  that  it  ought  to  be  so;  and  the  Pilgrims  proving  by- 
more  numerous  and  apposite  quotations,  that  they  ought  to  cleave  to  their 
dirt,  rags,  laziness,  and  wives,  and  that  they  ought  to  go  due  southwest  to 
find  the  New  Jerusalem, — it  terminated  as  most  religious  disputes  do ;  each 
party  claimed  the  victory,  and  lamented  the  obduracy,  blindness,  and  certain 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  291 

tendency  to  everlasting  destruction  of  the  other;  and  they  probably  parted  with 
these  expectations  of  the  other's  doom. 

I  knew  nothing  of  their  course  from  that  place  to  New  Madrid,  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Ohio.  They  were  then  organized  to  a  considerable  degree,  and 
had  probably  eight  or  ten  thousand  dollars  in  common  stock.  The  prophet 
was  their  ruler,  spiritual  and  temporal.  He  had  visions  by  night,  which 
were  expounded  in  the  morning,  and  determined  whether  they  should  stand 
still  or  go  on ;  whether  they  should  advance  by  land  or  water;  in  short,  every- 
thing was  settled  by  immediate  inspiration.  Arrived  at  New  Madrid,  they 
walked  ashore  in  Indian  file;  the  old  men  in  front,  then  the  women  and  the 
children  in  the  rear.  They  chanted  a  kind  of  tune,  as  they  walked,  the  bur- 
den of  which,  was  "Praise  God!  Praise  God!" 

Their  food  was  mush  and  milk,  prepared  in  a  trough,  and  they  sucked  it 
up,  standing  erect,  through  a  perforated  stalk  of  corn.  They  enjoined  severe 
penances  according  to  the  state  of  grace  in  which  the  penitent  was.  For  the 
lower  stages,  the  penance  was  very  severe,  as  to  stand  for  four  successive 
days  without  reclining  or  sitting  ;  to  fast  one  or  two  days.  In  fact,  fasting 
was  a  primary  object  of  penance,  both  as  severe  in  itself  and  as  economical. 
They  affected  to  be  ragged,  and  to  have  different  stripes  in  their  dresses  and  caps, 
like  those  adopted  in  penitentiaries  as  badges  in  the  character  of  the  convicts. 

So  formidable  a  band  of  ragged  Pilgrims,  marching  in  perfect  order,  chant- 
ing with  a  peculiar  twang,  the  short  phrase,  "  Praise  God !  Praise  God !" 
had  in  it  something  imposing  to  a  people  like  those  of  the  west,  strongly  gov- 
erned by  feelings  and  impressions.  Sensible  people  assured  me  that  the  com- 
ing of  a  band  of  these  Pilgrims  into  their  houses,  affected  them  with  a  thrill 
of  alarm  which  they  could  hardly  express.  The  untasted  food  before  them 
lost  its  savor,  while  they  heard  these  strange  people  call  upon  them,  standing 
themselves  in  the  posture  of  statues,  and  uttering  only  the  words,  "  Praise 
God !  repent !  fast !  pray  !"  Small  children,  waggish  and  profane  as  most  of 
the  children  are,  were  seen  to  shed  tears,  and  ask  their  parents  if  it  would  not 
be  fasting  enough  to  leave  off  one  meal  a  day. 

Two  of  their  most  distinguished  members  escaped  from  them  at  New  Mad- 
rid, not  without  great  difficulty,  and  having  been,  both  of  them,  confined  to 
prevent  their  escape.  One  of  them,  an  amiable  and  accomplished  woman, 
whose  over-wrought  imagination  had  been  carried  away  by  their  imposing 
rites,  died  soon  after,  worn  down  by  the  austerities  and  privations  which  she 
had  endured.  The  husband  had  an  emaciated  look,  like  the  Shakers,  a  sweet 
voice  for  music,  and  was  preaching  in  union  with  the  Methodists.  At  Pil- 
grim Island,  thirty  miles  below,  and  opposite  the  Little  Prairie,  they  staid  a 
long  time. 

There  dissensions  began  to  spring  up  among  them.  Emaciated  with  hunger 
and  feverish  from  filth  and  the  climate,  many  of  them  left  their  bones.  They 
were  ordered  by  the  prophet,  from  some  direct  revelation  which  he  received, 
to  lie  unburied ;  and  their  bones  were  bleaching  on  the  island  when  we  were 
there.  Some  escaped  from  them  at  this  place,  and  the  sheriff  of  the  county 
of  New  Madrid,  indignant  at  the  starvation  imposed  as  a  discipline  upon  the 
little  children,  carried  to  them  a  pirogue  of  provisions,  keeping  off  with  his 
sword  the  leaders,  who  would  fain  have  prevented  those  innocents  from  sat- 
iating their  appetites.  While  on  that  island,  a  great  number  of  boatmen  are 
said  to  have  joined,  to  take  them  at  their  profession  of  having  no  regard  for 
the  world  or  the  things  of  it,  and  robbed  them  of  all  their  money,  differently 
stated  to  be  from  five  to  ten  thousand  dollars.  From  that  place,  reduced  in 
number  by  desertion  and  death,  in  their  descent  to  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas, 
there  were  only  the  numbers  surviving  which  I  saw. 


292  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

This  history  of  the  delusion  and  destruction  of  between  thirty  and  forty 
people,  most  of  them  honest  and  sincere,  left  a  deep  and  melancholy  impres- 
sion of  the  universal  empire  of  bigotry  and  its  fatal  influence  in  all  ages  and 
countries.  To  this  narrative,  I  shall  only  add,  that  I  heard  an  aged  man, 
with  a  long  beard,  preaching,  as  they  called  it,  at  New  Madrid.  He  descended 
the  Mississippi  a  year  after  these  unfortunate  people,  and  he  also  called  him- 
self a  Pilgrim.  He  was  as  wild  and  visionary  as  they  were,  and  talked  and 
acted  like  a  maniac.  He  was  descending  the  Mississippi,  as  he  said,  to  the 
real  Jerusalem  in  Asia.  He  appeared  deeply  impressed  that  by  going  in  that 
direction,  he  should  finally  reach  that  city.  There  was  a  numerous  audience, 
and  I  heard  many  of  them  express  their  admiration  of  his  preaching.  Let 
none  think  that  the  age  of  fanaticism  has  gone  by. 


THE  MISSOURI  COMPROMISE. 

•  IN  the  history  of  the  United  States,  there  has  not,  perhaps,  been  a  more 
critical  moment  arising  from  the  violence  of  domestic  excitement,  than  in  the 
agitation  of  the  Missouri  question  from  1818  to  1821. 

The  Legislature  of  the  Territory  of  Missouri  of  1818  '19,  petitioned  Con- 
gress for  the  passage  of  a  law  authorizing  the  organization  of  a  state  govern- 
ment. Upon  this,  a  bill  was  accordingly  introduced  for  that  purpose,  to 
which  an  amendment  was  made  by  Mr.  Tallmadge,  of  New  York,  prohibit- 
ing slavery  within  the  new  State  :  this  passed  the  House,  but  was  arrested  in 
the  Senate. 

The  excitement  not  only  in  Congress,  but  throughout  the  country,  was  in- 
tense, and  for  eighteen  months,  agitated  the  Union  from  one  extreme  to  the 
other.  Many  of  the  northern  States  called  meetings,  and  published  spirited 
resolutions,  expressive  of  their  fears  of  perpetuating  slavery. 

The  arguments  on  both  sides  were  forcible.  On  one  hand  it  was  main- 
tained, that  the  compromise  of  the  federal  constitution,  regarding  slavery,  re- 
spected only  its  existing  limits  at  the  time ;  that  it  was  remote  from  the  views 
of  the  framers  of  the  constitution  to  have  the  domain  of  slavery  extended  on 
that  basis ;  that  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  American  Revolution,  and 
of  the  government  and  institutions  erected  upon  it,  were  hostile  to  slavery ; 
that  the  compromise  of  the  constitution  was  simply  a  toleration  of  things  that 
were,  and  not  a  basis  for  things  that  were  to  be ;  that  these  securities  of 
slavery,  as  it  existed,  would  be  forfeited  by  an  extension  of  the  system;  that 
the  honor  of  the  republic  before  the  world,  and  its  moral  influence  with  man- 
kind in  favor  of  freedom,  were  identified  with  the  advocacy  of  principles  of 
universal  emancipation;  that  the  act  of  1787,  which  established  the  territorial 
government,  north  and  west  of  the  river  Ohio,  prohibiting  slavery  forever 
therefrom,  was  a  public  recognition  and  avowal  of  the  principles  and  designs 
of  the  people  of  the  United  States  in  regard  to  new  states  and  territories  north 
and  west ;  and  that  the  proposal  to  establish  slavery  in  Missouri,  was  a  vio- 
lation of  all  these  great  and  fundamental  principles. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  was  maintained  that  slavery  was  incorporated  in  the 
system  of  society,  as  established  in  Louisiana,  which  comprehended  the  ter- 
ritory of  Missouri  when  purchased  from  France  in  1803 ;  that  the  faith  of  the 
United  States  was  pledged  by  treaty  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  that  wide  do- 
main, to  maintain  their  rights  and  privileges  on  the  same  footing  with  the 
people  of  the  rest  of  the  country;  and  .consequently,  that  slavery  being  a  part 
of  their  state  of  society,  it  would  be  a  violation  of  engagements  to  abolish  it 
without  their  consent.  Nor  could  the  government,  as  they  maintained,  pro- 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  293 

scribe  the  abolition  of  slavery  to  any  part  of  said  territory  as  a  condition  of 
being  erected  into  a  State,  if  they  were  otherwise  entitled  to  it.  It  might  as 
:  well,  they  said,  be  required  of  them  to  abolish  any  other  municipal  regula- 
tion, or  to  annihilate  any  other  attribute  of  sovereignty.  If  the  government 
had  made  an  ill-advised  treaty  in  the  purchase  of  Louisiana,  they  maintained 
it  would  be  manifest  injustice  to  make  its  citizens  suffer  on  that  account. 
They  claimed  that  they  were  received  as  a  slaveholding  community,  on  the 
same  footing  with  the  slave  States,  and  that  the  existence  or  non-existence  of 
slavery  could  not  be  made  a  question,  when  they  presented  themselves  at  the 
door  of  the  capitol  of  the  Republic  for  a  State  charter. 

After  much  bitter  and  acrimonious  discussion  in  Congress,  the  question 
was,  mainly  through  the  exertions  of  Mr.  Clay,  settled  by  a  compromise.  A 
bill  passed  for  the  admission  of  Missouri  without  any  restriction  as  to  slavery, 
but  prohibiting  it  throughout  the  United  States  north  of  latitude  thirty-six  de- 
grees, thirty  minutes. 

At  this  period,  not  one-fourth  of  the  population  of  Missouri  owned  or  held 
slaves;  many  were  opposed  to  slavery  as  a  measure  of  State  policy ;  but  even 
all  of  these,  with  a  very  few  exceptions,  had  been  determined  to  resist  what 
they  regarded  an  arbitrary  stretch  of  congressional  power. 

Missouri  was  not  declared  independent  until  August,  1821.  Previously  to 
the  passage  of  the  bill  for  its  admission,  the  people  had  formed  a  State  con- 
stitution; a  provision  of  which  required  the  legislature  to  pass  a  law  "  to  pre- 
vent free  negroes  from  coming  to  and  settling  in  the  State."  When  the  con- 
stitution  was  presented  to  Congress,  this  provision  was  strenuously  opposed. 
The  contest  occupied  a  great  part  of  the  session,  but  Missouri  was  finally  ad- 
mitted on  the  condition  that  no  laws  should  be  passed  by  which  any  free 
citizens  of  the  United  States  should  be  prevented  from  enjoying  those  rights 
within  the  State,  to  which  they  were  entitled  by  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States. 

ADVENTURE  OF  AUDUBON. 

ON  my  return  from  the  Upper  Mississippi,  I  found  myself  obliged  to  cross 
one  of  the  wide  prairies,  which  in  that  portion  of  the  United  States,  vary  the 
appearance  of  the  country.  The  weather  was  fine;  all  around  me  was  as 
fresh  and  blooming  as  if  it  had  just  issued  from  the  bosom  of  nature.  My 
knapsack,  my  gun,  and  my  dog,  were  all  I  had  for  baggage  and  company. 
But,  although  well  moccasined,  I  moved  slowly  along,  attracted  by  the  bril- 
liancy of  the  flowers,  and  the  gambols  of  the  fawns  around  their  dams,  to  all 
appearance,  as  thoughtless  of  danger  as  I  felt  myself. 

My  march  was  of  long  duration.  I  saw  the  sun  sink  beneath  the  horizon, 
long  before  I  could  perceive  any  appearance  of  woodland,  and  nothing  in  the 
shape  of  man,  had  I  met  with,  that  day.  The  track  which  I  followed  wras 
only  an  old  Indian  trace ;  and  as  darkness  overshadowed  the  prairie,  I  felt 
some  desire  to  reach,  at  least,  a  copse,  in  which  I  might  lie  down  to  rest. 
The  nighthawks  were  skimming  over  and  around  me,  attracted  by  the  buzz- 
ing wings  of  the  beetles,  which  form  their  food,  and  the  distant  howling  of 
wolves,  gave  me  some  hope  that  I  should  soon  arrive  at  the  skirts  of  some 
woodland. 

1  did  so,  and  at  almost  the  same  instant,  a  fire-light  attracting  my  eye,  I 
moved  toward  it,  full  of  confidence  that  it '  proceeded  from  the  camp  of  some 
wandering  Indians.  I  was  mistaken.  I  discovered  from  its  glare,  that  it 
was  from  the  hearth  of  a  small  log  cabin,  and  that  a  tall  figure  passed  and 
repassed  between  it  and  me,  as  if  busily  engaged  in  household  arrangements, 


294:  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

I  reached  the  spot,  and  presenting  myself  at  the  door,  asked  the  tall  figure, 
which  proved  to  be  a  woman,  if  I  might  take  shelter  under  her  roof  during 
the  night.  Her  voice  was  gruff,  and  her  attire  negligently  thrown  about  her. 
She  answered  in  the  affirmative.  I  walked  in,  took  a  wooden  stool,  and 
quietly  seated  myself  by  the  fire.  The  next  object  that  attracted  my  notice, 
was  a  finely  formed  young  Indian,  resting  his  head  between  his  hands,  with 
his  elbows  on  his  knees.  A  long  bow  rested  against  the  log  wall  near  him, 
while  a  quantity  of  arrows  and  two  or  three  raccoon  skins  lay  at  his  feet.  He 
moved  not;  he  apparently  breathed  not.  Accustomed  to  the  habits  of  Indians, 
and  knowing  that  they  pay  but  little  attention  to  the  movements  of  civilized 
strangers ;  I  addressed  him  in  French,  a  language  not  unfrequently  partially 
known  to  the  people  in  that  neighborhood.  He  raised  his  head,  pointed  to 
one  of  his  eyes  with  his  finger,  and  gave  me  a  significant  glance  with  the 
other.  His  face  was  covered  with  blood.  The  fact  was,  that  an  hour  before 
this,  as  he  was  in  the  act  of  discharging  an  arrow  at  a  raccoon,  in  the  top  of 
a  tree,  the  arrow  had  split  upon  the  cord,  and  sprung  back  with  such  violence 
into  his  right  eye,  as  to  destroy  it  forever. 

Feeling  hungry,  I  inquired  what  sort  of  fare  I  might  expect.  Such  a 
thing  as  a  bed  was  not  to  be  seen,  but  many  large  untanned  bear  and  buffalo 
hides  lay  piled  in  a  corner.  I  drew  a  fine  time-piece  from  my  breast,  and  told 
the  woman  that  it  was  late,  and  that  I  was  fatigued.  She  had  espied  my 
watch,  the  richness  of  which  seemed  to  operate  upon  her  feelings  with  elec- 
tric quickness.  She  told  me  that  there  was  plenty  of  venison  and  jerked  buf- 
falo meat,  and  that  on  removing  the  ashes,  I  should  find  a  cake.  But  my 
watch  had  struck  her  fancy,  and  her  curiosity  had  to  be  gratified  by  an  im- 
mediate sight  of  it.  I  took  off  the  gold  chain  that  secured  it,  from  around 
my  neck  and  handed  it  to  her.  She  was  all  ecstasy,  spoke  of  its  beauty, 
asked  me  its  value,  and  put  the  chain  round  her  brawny  neck,  saying  how 
happy  the  possession  of  such  a  watch  would  make  her.  Thoughtless,  and  as 
I  fancied  myself  in  so  retired  a  spot,  secure,  I  paid  little  attention  to  her  talk 
or  her  movements.  I  helped  my  dog  to  a  good  supper  of  venison,  and  was 
not  long  in  satisfying  the  demands  of  my  own  appetite.  The  Indian  rose 
from  his  seat  as  if  in  extreme  suffering.  He  passed  and  repassed  me  several 
times,  and  once  pinched  me  on  the  side  so  violently,  that  the  pain  nearly 
brought  forth  an  exclamation  of  anger.  I  looked  at  him ;  his  eye  met  mine ; 
but  his  look  was  so  forbidding,  that  it  struck  a  chill  into  the  more  nervous 
part  of  my  system.  He  again  seated  himself,  drew  his  butcher-knife  from  its 
greasy  scabbard,  examined  its  edge,  as  I  would  do  that  of  a  razor,  suspected 
dull,  replaced  it,  and  taking  his  tomahawk  from  his  back,  filled  the  pipe  of  it 
with  tobacco,  and  sent  me  expressive  glances  whenever  our  hostess  chanced 
to  have  her  back  toward  us. 

Never  until  that  moment,  had  my  senses  been  wakened  to  the  danger  which 
I  now  suspected  to  be  about  me.  I  returned  glance  for  glance,  to  my  com- 
panion, and  rested  well  assured  that  whatever  enemies  I  might  have,  he  was 
not  of  their  number. 

I  asked  the  woman  for  my  watch,  wound  it  up,  and  under  pretense  of  wish- 
ing to  see  how  the  weather  might  probably  be  on  the  morrow,  took  up  my 
gun  and  walked  out  of  the  cabin.  I  slipped  a  ball  into  each  barrel,  scraped 
the  edges  of  my  flints,  renewed  the  priming,  and  returning  to  the  hut,  gave  a 
favorable  account  of  my  observations.  I  took  a  few  bear  skins,  made  a  pal- 
let of  them,  and  calling  my  faithful  dog  to  my  side,  lay  down  with  my  gun 
close  to  my  body,  and  in  a  few  minutes,  to  all  appearance,  was  fast  asleep. 

A  short  time  had  elapsed,  when  some  voices  were  heard,  and  from  the  cor- 
ners of  my  eyes,  I  saw  two  athletic  young  men  making  their  entrance,  bear 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  295 

ing  a  dead  stag  upon  a  pole.  They  disposed  of  their  burden,  and  asking  for 
whisky,  helped  themselves  freely  to  it.  Observing  me  and  the  wounded  In- 
dian, they  asked  who  I  was,  and  why  the  devil,  that  rascal  (meaning  the  In- 
dian, who  they  knew,  understood  not  a  word  of  English),  was  in  the  house. 
The  mother,  for  so  she  proved  to  be — bade  them  speak  less  loudly,  made 
mention  of  my  watch,  and  took  them  to  a  corner,  where  a  conversation  en- 
sued, the  purport  of  which,  it  required  little  shrewdness  in  me  to  guess.  I 
felt  that  he  perceived  danger  in  my  situation.  The  Indian  exchanged  a  last 
glance  with  me. 

The  young  men  had  eaten  and  drunk  themselves  into  such  a  condition,  that 
I  already  looked  upon  them  as  hors  du  combat;  and  the  frequent  visits  of  the 
whisky  bottle  to  the  ugly  mouth  of  their  dam,  I  hoped,  would  soon  reduce 
her  to  a  like  state.  Judge  of  my  astonishment,  when  I  saw  this  incarnate 
fiend  take  a  large  carving-knife,  and  go  to  the  grindstone  to  whet  its  eds^e.  I 
saw  her  pour  the  water  on  the  turning  machine,  and  watched  her  working 
away  with  the  dangerous  instrument,  until  the  sweat  covered  every  part  of 
my  body,  in  despite  of  my  determination  to  defend  myself  to  the  last.  Her 
task  finished,  she  walked  to  her  reeling  sons,  and  said,  "  There  that'll  soon 
settle  him!  Boys,  kill  you, — and  then  for  the  watch." 

I  turned,  cocked  my  gun  locks  silently,  touched  my  faithful  companion, 
and  lay  ready  to  start  up  and  shoot  the  first  who  might  attempt  my  life.  The 
moment  was  fast  approaching,  and  that  night  might  have  been  my  last  in  this 
world,  had  not  Providence  made  preparations  for  my  rescue.  All  was  ready. 
The  infernal  hag  was  advancing  slowly,  probably  contemplating  the  best  way 
of  dispatching  me,  while  her  sons  should  be  engaged  with  the  Indian.  I 
was  several  times  on  the  eve  of  rising  and  shooting  her  on  the  spot: — but  she 
was  not  to  be  punished  thus.  The  door  suddenly  opened,  and  there  entered 
two  stout  travelers,  each  with  a  long  rifle  on  his  shoulder.  I  bounced  up  on 
my  feet,  and  making  them  most  heartily  welcome,  told  them  how  well  it  was 
ibr  me  that  they  should  arrive  at  that  moment.  The  tale  was  told  in  a  min- 
ute. The  drunken  sons  wrere  secured,  and  the  woman,  in  spite  of  her  defense 
and  vociferations,  shared  the  same  fate.  The  Indian  fairly  danced  for  joy,, 
and  gave  us  to  understand  that  as  he  could  not  sleep  for  pain,  he  would  watch; 
over  us.  You  may  suppose  that  we  slept  much  less  than  we  talked.  The- 
two  strangers  gave  me  an  account  of  their  once  having  been  in  a  somewhat 
similar  situation.  Day  came,  fair  and  rosy,  and  with  it  the  punishment  of 
our  captives. 

They  were  now  quite  sobered.  Their  feet  were  unbound,  but  their  arms; 
were  still  securely  tied.  We  marched  them  into  the  woods  off  the  road,  and 
having  used  them  as  Regulators  were  wont  to  use  such  delinquents,  we  set 
fire  to  the  cabin,  gave  all  the  skins  and  implements  to  the  young  Indian  war- 
rior, and  proceeded,  well  pleased,  toward  the  settlements. 

During  upward  of  twenty-five  years,  when  my  wanderings  extended  to  all 
parts  of  our  country,  this  was  the  only  time  at  which  my  life  was  in  danger,, 
from  my  fellow-creatures.  Indeed,  so  little  risk  do  travelers  run  in  the 
United  States,  that  no  one  born  there,  ever  dreams  of  any  to  be  encountered; 
on  the  road,  and  I  can  only  account  for  this  occurrence,  by  supposing  that 
the  inhabitants  were  not  Americans. 

Will  you  believe,  reader,  that  not  many  miles  from  the  place  where  the 
adventure  happened,  and  where,  fifteen  years  ago,  no  habitation  belonging  to 
civilized  man  was  expected,  large  roads  are  now  laid  out,  cultivation  has 
converted  the  woods  into  fertile  fields,  taverns  have  been  erected,  and  much  of 
what  we  Americans  call  comfort,  is  to  be  met  with.  So  fast  does  improve- 
ment proceed  in  our  abundant  and  free  country. 
37 


296  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 


EXPLORING  EXPEDITIONS  OF  LONG,  CASS  AND  SCHOOLCRAFT. 

IMMEDIATELY  after  Florida  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  Spain,  in 
1819,  an  expedition  was  organized  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  John  C.  Cal- 
houn,  to  examine  the  country  drained  by  the  Missouri  and  its  branches. 
The  party  under  Major  Stephen  C.  Long,  comprising  many  scientific  and 
military  men,  during  the  summer  of  1819,  examined  the  Lower  Missouri,  and 
passed  the  winter  following  at  Council  Bluffs,  eight  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
irom  its  mouth.  In  June  (1820),  they  proceeded  to  examine  the  valley  of 
the  Platte,  and  followed  up  its  south  fork  to  its  sources  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. Here  Dr.  James,  the  botanist,  ascended  a  mountain  eight  thousand  fivt 
hundred  feet  above  the  ocean,  named,  after  him,  James's  Peak.  From  thenct 
they  struck  the  head-waters  of  the  Arkansas,  and  followed  down  it  to  its  June 
tion  with  the  Mississippi.  They  obtained  much  information  respecting  the 
inhabitants  and  natural  history,  and  geography  of  those  regions,  which  was 
published  in  1823,  by  Dr.  James. 

The  important  fact  was  obtained,  that  the  whole  division  of  North  Amer- 
ica drained  by  the  Missouri  and  the  Arkansas,  and  their  tributaries  between 
the  meridian  of  the  mouth  of  the  Platte  and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  is  almost 
entirely  unfit  for  cultivation,  and,  therefore,  uninhabitable  for  an  agricultural 
people.  The  territory  for  five  hundred  miles  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
extending  from  lat.  39  deg.  to  lat.  49  deg.  was,  indeed,  found  to  be  a  desert 
of  sand  and  stones.  Later  observations  show  the  adjoining  regions,  for  a 
great  distance  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  to  be  still  more  arid  and  sterile. 

In  1820,  Gov.  Cass,  with  a  corps  of  scientific  men  and  soldiers,  left  De- 
troit to  explore  the  head-waters  of  the  Mississippi.  He  proceeded  by  the 
•way  of  Sault  St.  Mary,  into  Lake  Superior  ana  the  St.  Louis  River,  and 
Breached  the  Mississippi  at  Sandy  Lake,  which  he  ascended  as  far  as  Cass 
Lake  ;  but  was  obliged,  from  the  low  state  of  the  water,  want  of  supplies, 
.and  the  lateness  of  the  season,  to  return  without  ascertaining  the  sources  of 
•the  Mississippi,  which  were  then  supposed  to  be  in  Lake  Biche,  about  sixty 
.miles  northwest  of  Cass  Lake.  During  this  tour,  he  negotiated  a  treaty  with 
;the  Indians  of  Sault  St.  Mary,  and  they  ceded  four  miles  square  around  the 
falls,  including  the  site  of  the  old  French  Fort,  where,  two  years  later,  Fort 
.Brady,  the  most  northern  military  post  in  the  United  States,  was  erected. 

In  1823,  Major  Long  led  an  expedition  to  explore  St.  Peter's  or  Minnesota 
River,  and  the  country  on  the  northern  boundary  between  Red  River  of 
Hudson's  Bay,  and  Lake  Superior.  They  left  Philadelphia,  and  proceeding 
by  way  of  Wheeling  and  Chicago,  reached  the  Mississippi  at  Prairie  du 
•Chien.  From  Fort  Snelling,  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Peter's,  they  passed  to 
.Big  Stone  Lake  at  its  head,  and  thence  to  Lake  Travers,  and  then  traveled 
.by  land,  down  Red  River  to  Pembina,  a  village  of  Lord  Selkirk's  settlement. 
By  a  series  of  astronomical  observations,  they  ascertained  that  this  village 
-was  all  within  the  boundary  of  the  United  States,  except  one  log-house. 
This  information  well  pleased  the  inhabitants,  especially  when  they  discov- 
ered that  the  line  so  ran  as  to  bring  the  buffalo  hunting-ground  within  the 
ilimits  of  the  republic.  Finding  it  impracticable  to  travel  by  land  along  the 
boundary,  on  account  of  the  numerous  marshes  and  lagoons  between  Red 
River  and  Lake  Superior,  Long  descended  Red  River  to  Lake  Winnipeg,  and 
.returned  by  water,  through  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  Rainy  Lake,  Lake  Su- 
jrcrior  etc. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  297 

In  1832,  another  expedition  under  Mr.  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  left  St. 
Mary's  Falls  on  the  7th  of  June,  and  proceeding  via  Lake  Superior  and  San- 
dy Lake,  ascended  the  Mississippi  to  Cass  Lake.  Thence  they  ascended  the 
Mississippi  to  its  eastern  source  in  Ossowa  Lake,  made  a  passage  of  six  miles 
to  Itasca  Lake,  its  western  fork,  where  they  arrived  on  the  13th  of  July. 
The  great  mystery  was  now  solved.  Three  centuries  after  it  was  discovered 
by  the  Spanish  cavalier,  De  Soto,  it  was  ascertained  that  this  majestic  river 
had  its  source  in  lat.  47  deg.  13  min.  35  sec.  north,  and  that  it  ran  through  its 
entire  length,  wholly  within  the  territory  of  the  United  States.  On  account 
of  the  circuitous  course  of  this  river  near  its  head,  its  source  lay  off  the  usual 
route  of  the  fur  traders.  This  was  the  reason  of  its  precise  location  being  so 
long  vailed  in  obscurity.  Mr.  Schoolcraft  also  explored  Crow  Wing,  and  the 
St.  Croix  Rivers. 


LIFE  AMONG  THE  TRAPPERS. 

THE  trappers*  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  belong  to  a  "genus"  more  ap- 
proximating to  the  primitive  savage,  than,  perhaps,  any  other  class  of  civil- 
ized  man.  Their  lives  being  spent  in  the  remote  wilderness  of  the  mountains, 
with  no  other  companion  than  Nature  herself,  their  habits  and  character  as- 
sume a  most  singular  cast  of  simplicity,  mingled  with  ferocity,  appearing  to 
take  their  coloring  from  the  scenes  and  the  objects  which  surround  them. 
Knowing  no  want,  save  those  of  Nature,  their  sole  care  is  to  procure  sufficient 
food  to  support  life,  and  the  necessary  clothing  to  protect  them  from  the  vigor- 
ous climate.  This,  with  the  assistance  of  their  trusty  rifles,  they  are  gener- 
ally able  to  effect,  but  sometimes  at  the  expense  of  great  peril  and  hardship. 
When  engaged  in  their  avocation,  the  natural  instinct  of  primitive  man  is 
ever  alive. to  guard  against  danger  and  provide  food. 

Keen  observers  of  nature,  they  rival  the  beasts  of  prey  in  discovering  the 
haunts  and  habits  of  game,  and  in  their  skill  and  cunning  in  capturing  it. 
Constantly  exposed  to  perils  of  all  kinds,  they  become  callous  to  any  feeling 
of  danger,  and  destroy  human,  as  well  as  animal  life,  with  as  little  scruple, 
and  as  freely  as  they  expose  their  own.  Of  laws,  human  or  divine,  they 
neither  know  nor  care  to  know.  Their  wish  is  their  law,  and  to  attain  it, 
they  do  not  scruple  as  to  ways  and  means.  Firm  friends  and  bitter  enemies, 
with  them  it  is  "  a  word  and  blow,"  and  the  blow  often  first.  They  may 
have  good  qualities,  but  they  are  those  of  the  animal ;  and  people  fond  of 
giving  hard  names,  call  them  revengeful,  blood-thirsty,  drunkards — when  the 
wherewithal  is  had, — gamblers,  regardless  of  the  laws  of  meum  and  tuum — 
in  fact,  "  white  Indians."  -However,  there  are  exceptions,  and  we  have  met 
honest  mountain  men.  Their  animal  qualities,  nevertheless,  are  undeniable. 
Strong,  active,  hardy  as  bears,  daring,  expert  in  the  use  of  weapons,  they  are 
just  what  uncivilized  white  man  might  be  supposed  to  be  in  a  brute  state,  de- 
pending upon  his  instinct  for  the  support  of  life. 

Not  a  hole,  or  a  corner  of  the  "  Far  West,"  but  has  been  ransacked  by 
these  hardy  men.  From  the  Mississippi  to  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado  of 
the  West,  from  the  frozen  regions  of  the  North  to  the  Gila  in  Mexico,  the 
beaver  trapper  has  set  his  traps  in  every  stream.  Most  of  this  vast  coun- 
try, but  for  their  daring  enterprise,  would-be,  even  now,  a  terra  incognita 
to  geographers.  The  mountains  and  the  streams  still  retain  the  names  as* 

*  The  majority  of  the  trappers  and  mountain  hunters  are  French  Canadians  and  St.  Lcuis 
French  Creoles. 


298  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

signed  to  them  by  the  rude  hunters ;  and  these  alone,  are  the  hardy  pioneers 
who  braved  the  way  for  the  settlement  of  the  western  country. 

Trappers  are  of  two  kinds — the  "hired  hand,"  and  the  "free  trapper;" 
the  former  is  hired  for  the  hunt  by  the  fur  companies ;  the  latter,  supplied 
with  animals  and  traps  by  the  company,  is  paid  a  certain  price  for  his  furs 
and  peltries.  There  is,  also,  the  trapper  "on  his  own  hook;"  but  this  class 
is  very  small.  He  has  his  own  animals  and  traps,  hunts  where  he  chooses, 
and  sells  his  peltries  to  whom  he  pleases. 

On  starting  for  a  hunt,  the  trapper  fits  himself  out  with  the  necessary  equip- 
ment, either  from  the  Indian  trading  forts,  or  from  some  of  the  petty  traders 
— coureurs  des  bois — who  frequent  the  western  country.  This  equipment 
consists  usually  of  two  or  three  horses  or  mules — one  for  saddle,  the  others  for 
packs — and  six  traps,  which  are  carried  in  a  bag  of  leather,  called  a  trap- 
sack.  Ammunition,  a  few  pounds  of  tobacco,  dressed  deer-skins  for  mocca- 
sins, &c.,  are  carried  in  a  wallet  of  dressed  buffalo-skin,  called  a  possible 
pack.  His  "possibles"  and  "trap  sack,"  are  generally  carried  on  the  saddle 
mule  while  hunting,  the  others  being  packed  with  the  furs.  The  costume  of 
the  trappers  is  a  Hunting-shirt  of  dressed  buck-skin,  ornamented  with  long 
fringes;  pantaloons  of  the  same  material,  and  decorated  with  porcupine  quills 
and  long  fringes  down  the  outside  of  the  leg.  A  flexible  felt  hat  and  mocca- 
sins clothe  his  extremities.  Over  his  left  shoulder  and  under  his  right  arm, 
hang  his  powder-horn  and  bullet-pouch,  in  which  he  carries  his  balls,  flint, 
steel,  and  odds  and  ends  of  all  kinds.  Round  the  waist  is  a  belt,  in  which  is 
stuck  a  large  butcher-knife  in  a  sheath  of  buffalo-hide,  made  fast  to  the  belt 
by  a  chain  or  guard  of  steel,  which,  also,  supports  a  little  buck-skin  case  con- 
taining a  whet-stone.  A  tomahawk  is  often  also  added ;  and,  of  course,  a 
long  heavy  rifle  is  part  and  parcel  of  his  equipment.  Around  his  neck 
hangs  his  pipe  holder,  and  is  generally  a  "  gage  d'amour,"  and  a  triumph  of 
squaw  workmanship,  in  shape  of  a  heart  garnished  with  beads  and  porcupine 
quills. 

Thus  provided,  and  having  determined  the  locality  of  his  trapping-ground, 
he  starts  to  the  mountains,  sometimes  alone,  sometimes  three  or  four  in  com- 
pany, as  soon  as  the  breaking  up  of  ice  allows  him  to  commence  operations. 
Arrived  on  his  hunting-ground,  he  follows  the  creeks  and  streams,  keeping  a 
sharp  lookout  for  "  sign."  If  he  sees  a  prostrate  cotton-wood  tree,  he  ex- 
amines it  to  discover  if  it  be  the  work  of  beaver — whether  "  thrown"  for  the 
purpose  of  food,  or  to  dam  the  stream.  The  track  of  the  beaver  on  the  mud 
or  sand  under  the  bank,  is  also  examined  ;  and,  if  the  "sign"  be  fresh,  he 
sets  his  trap  in  the  run  of  the  animal,  hiding  it  under  water,  and  attaching  it 
by  a  stout  chain  to  a  picket  driven  in  the  bank,  or  to  a  brush  or  tree.  A 
"float  stick"  is  made  fast  to  the  trap  by  a  cord  a  few  feet  long,  which,  if 
the  animal  carry  away  the  trap,  floats  on  the  water,  and  points  out  its  posi- 
tion. The  trap  is  baited  with  "medicine,"  an  oily  substance  obtained  from 
a  gland  in  the  scrotum  of  the  beaver,  but  distinct  from  the  testes.  A  stick  is 
dipped  into  this,  and  planted  over  the  trap ;  and  the  beaver,  attracted  by  the 
smell,  and  wishing  a  close  inspection,  very  foolishly  puts  his  leg  into  the  trap, 
and  is  a  "  gone  beaver." 

When  a  lodge  is  discovered,  the  trap  is  set  at  the  edge  of  the  dam,  at  the 
point  where  the  animal  passes  from  deep  to  shoal  water,  and  always  under 
water.  Early  in  the  morning,  the  hunter  always  mounts  his  mule  and  ex- 
amines the  traps.  The  captured  animals  are  skinned,  and  the  tails,  which 
are  a  great  dainty,  carefully  packed  into  camp.  The  skin  is  then  stretched 
over  a  hoop,  or  frame-work  of  osier  twigs,  and  is  allowed  to  dry ;  the  flesh 
and  fatty  substance  being  carefully  scraped  (grained).  When  dry,  it  is  folded 


FRONTIER  LIFE—NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  299 

into  a  square  sheet,  the  fur  turned  inward,  and  the  bundle,  containing  about 
ten  to  twenty  skins,  lightly  pressed  and  corded,  is  ready  for  transportation. 

During  the  hunt,  regardless  of  Indian  vicinity,  the  fearless  trapper  wanders 
far  and  near,  in  search  of  "sign."  His  nerves  must  ever  be  in  a  state  of 
tension,  and  his  mind  ever  present  at  his  call.  His  eagle-eye  sweeps  around 
the  country,  and  in  an  instant,  detects  any  foreign"  appearance.  A  turned 
leaf,  a  blade  of  glass  pressed  down,  the  uneasiness  of  wild  animals,  the  flight 
of  birds,  are  all  paragraphs  to  him  written  in  nature's  legible  hand  and  plainest 
language.  All  the  wits  of  the  subtile  savage  are  called  into  play  to  gain  an 
advantage  over  the  wily  woodsman ;  but  with  the  natural  instinct  of  primi- 
tive man,  the  white  hunter  has  the  advantage  of  a  civilized  mind,  and  thus 
provided,  seldom  fails  to  outwit,  under  equal  advantages,  the  cunning  savage. 

Sometimes  following  on  his  trail,  the  Indian  watches  him  set  his  traps  on 
a  shrub-belted  stream,  and  passing  up  the  bed  like  Bruce  of  old,  so  that  he 
may  leave  no  track,  he  lies  in  wait  in  the  bushes  until  the  hunter  comes  to 
examine  his  carefully-set  traps.  Then  waiting  until  he  approaches  his  am- 
bush within  a  few  feet,  whiz,  flies  the,  home-drawn  arrow,  never  failing  at 
such  close  quarters  to  bring  the  victim  to  the  ground.*  For  one  white  scalp, 
however,  that  dangles  in  the  smoke  of  an  Indian  lodge,  a  dozen  black  ones, 
at  the  end  of  the  hunt,  ornament  the  camp-fire  of  the  rendezvous. 

At  a  certain  time,  when  the  hunt  is  over,  or  they  have  loaded  their  pack 
animals,  the  trappers  proceed  to  the  "  rendezvous,"  the  locality  of  which  has 
been  previously  agreed  upon ;  and  here  the  traders  and  agents  of  the  fur  com- 
panies await  them  with  such  assortment  of  goods  as  their  hardy  customers 
may  require,  including  generally  a  fair  supply  of  alcohol.  The  trappers  drop 
in  singly,  and  in  small  bands,  bringing  their  packs  of  beaver  to  this  mountain 
market,  not  unfrequently  to  the  value  of  a  thousand  dollars  each,  the  produce 
of  one  hunt.  The  dissipation  of  the  "  rendezvous,"  however,  soon  turns  the 
trapper's  pocket  inside  out.  The  goods  bought  by  the  traders,  although  of 
the  most  inferior  quality,  are  sold  at  enormous  prices — coffee  twenty  and 
thirty  shillings  a  pint  cup,  which  is  the  usual  measure ;  tobacco  fetches  ten 
and  fifteen  shillings  a  plug ;  alcohol,  from  twenty  to  fifty  shillings  a  pint ; 
gunpowder,  sixteen  shillings  a  pint  cup ;  and  all  other  articles  at  proportion- 
ably  exorbitant  prices. 

The  "  beaver"  is  purchased  at  from  two  to  eight  dollars  per  pound  ;  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  alone  buying  it  by  the  pluie  or  "  plew,"  that  is,  the 
whole  skin,  giving  a  certain  price  for  skins,  whether  of  old  beaver  or 
"kittens."  ' 

The  rendezvous  is  one  continued  scene  of  drunkenness,  gambling,  brawling 
and  fighting,  so  long  as  the  money  and  credit  of  the  trappers  last.  Seated, 
Indian  fashion,  around  the  fires,  with  a  blanket  spread  before  them,  groups 
are  seen  with  their  "  decks"  of  cards  playing  at  "  eucre,"  "  poker,"  and 
"  seven  up,"  the  regular  mountain  games.  The  stakes  are  "beaver,"  which 
is  here  current  coin ;  and  when  the  fur  is  gone,  their  horses,  mules,  rifles,  and 
shirts,  hunting  packs  and  breeches  are  staked.  Daring  gamblers  make  the 
rounds  of  the  camp,  challenging  each  other  to  play  for  the  trapper's  highest 
stake  —  his  horse,  his  squaw  (if  he  have  one),  and  as  once  happened,  his 
scalp.  A  trapper  often  squanders  the  produce  of  his  hunt,  amounting  to 
hundreds  of  dollars,  in  a  couple  of  hours  ;  and  supplied  on  credit  with  another 
equipment,  leaves  the  rendezvous  for  another  expedition,  which  has  the  same 
result,  time  after  time,  although  one  tolerably  successful  hunt  would  enable 
nim  to  return  to  the  settlements  and  civilized  life  with  an  ample  sum  to  pur- 
chase and  stock  a  farm,  and  enjoy  himself  in  ease  and  comfort  the  remainder 
of  his  days. 


300  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

These  annual  gatherings  are  often  the  scene  of  bloody  duels,  for  over  their 
cups  and  cards,  no  men  are  more  quarrelsome  than  your  mountaineers.  Rifles, 
at  twenty  paces,  settle  all  differences,  and  as  may  be  imagined,  the  fall  of  one 
or  other  of  the  combatants  is  certain,  or  as  sometimes  happens,  both  fall  at 
the  word  "fire!" 


OGILVCE'S  ADVENTURE. 

MR.  OGILVIE,  once  well  known  in  Virginia  as  a  supporter  of  the  God- 
wenian  philosophy,  conceiving  a  vehement  desire  to  see  the  western  country, 
at  that  time  newly  settled,  set  off  from  Richmond  for  Lexington,  in  Kentucky. 
It  was  in  the  month  of  October,  after  a  most  lonely  and  wearisome  day's  ride, 
that  a  little  before  sunset,  he  came  to  a  small  cabin  on  the  road,  and  fearing 
he  should  find  no  other  opportunity  of  procuring  refreshment  for  himself  and 
his  jaded  horse,  he  stopped  and  inquired  if  he  could  be  accommodated  for  the 
night.  An  old  woman,  the  only  person  he  saw,  civilly  answering  him  in  the 
affirmative,  he  gladly  alighted,  and  going  in  to  a  tolerable  fire,  enjoyed  the 
luxury  of  rest,  while  his  hostess  was  discharging  the  duties  of  hostler  and 
cook.  In  no  long  time,  she  set  before  him  a  supper  of  comfortable  but  homely 
fare,  of  which  having  liberally  partaken,  and  given  divers  significant  nods,  the 
old  woman  remarked,  she  "  expected"  he  f<  chose  bed,"  and  pointing  to  one 
which  stood  in  the  corner  of  the  room,  immediately  went  into  the  yard  a 
while  to  give  him  an  opportunity  of  undressing. 

Before  he  had  been  long  in  bed,  and  while  he  was  congratulating  himseli 
on  his  good  fortune,  the  latch  of  the  door  was  drawn,  and  there  entered  a  dark 
looking  man  of  gigantic  stature  and  form,  with  stiff  black  hair,  eyebrows  and 
beard.  He  was  apparently  about  eight  and  twenty,  was  dressed  in  a  hunting- 
shirt,  which  partly  concealed  a  pair  of  dirty  buckskin  overalls,  and  he  wore 
moccasins  of  the  same  material.  Mr.  Ogilvie  thought  he  had  never  seen  any- 
thing  half  so  ferocious.  As  soon  as  this  man  entered  the  room,  his  mother, 
for  so  she  proved  to  be,  pointing  to  the  bed,  motioned  him  to  make  no  noise ; 
on  which,  with  inaudible  steps,  he  walked  to  the  chimney,  put  up  his  gun  on  a 
rude  rack  provided  for  that  and  other  arms,  and  sat  softly  down  to  the  fire, 
then  throwing  a  bright  blaze  around  the  room. 

Our  traveler  not  liking  the  looks  of  the  new  comer,  and  not  caring  to  be 
teased  by  conversation,  drew  his  head  under  the  bed-clothes,  so  that  he  could 
see  what  was  passing,  without  leaving  his  own  face  visible.  The  two  soon 
entered  into  conversation,  but  in  so  low  a  voice  that  Mr.  Ogilvie  could  not 
distinguish  what  was  said.  His  powers  of  attention  were  wrought  up  to  the 
most  painful  pitch  of  intensity.  At  length,  the  man,  looking  toward  the  bed, 
made  some  remark  to  his  mother,  to  which  Mr.  Ogilvie  heard  her  reply, 
"  No,  I  hardly  think  he's  asleep  yet;"  and  they  again  conversed  in  a  low 
voice  as  before.  After  a  short  interval,  while  the  man  sat  with  his  feet 
stretched  out  toward  the  fire  on  which  he  was  intently  gazing,  he  was  heard 
to  say: 

"  Don't  you  think  he's  asleep  now?" 

"  Stop,"  says  she,  "  I'll  go  and  see ;"  and  moving  near  the  bed,  under  the 
pretext  of  taking  something  from  a  small  table,  she  approached  so  near  as  to 
see  the  face  of  our  traveler,  whose  eyes  were,  indeed,  closed,  but  who  was 
anything  but  asleep. 

On  her  return  to  the  fire-place,  she  said,  "Yes!  he's  asleep  now." 

On  this,  the  mountaineer  rising  from  his  stool,  reached  up  to  the  rack,  and 
taking  down'with  his  right  hand,  an  old  greasy  cutlass,  walked  with  the 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  301 

same  noiseless  step  toward  the  traveler's  bed,  and  stretching  out  the  other 
hand,  at  the  moment  that  Mr.  Ogilvie  was  about  to  implore  his  pitv,  took 
down  a  venison  ham  which  hung  on  the  wall,  near  the  head  or  the  1»-J, 
walked  softly  back  to  the  fire,  and  began  to  slice  some  pieces  for  his  supper, 
and  Mr.  Ogilvie,  who  lay  more  dead  than  alive,  and  whose  romantic  fancy 
heightened  the  terrors  of  all  he  saw,  had  the  unspeakable  gratification  to  (ind 
that  these  kind  hearted  children  of  the  forest  had  been  talking  low,  and  that 
the  hungry  hunter,  who  had  eaten  nothing  since  morning,  had  forborne  mak- 
ing a  noise,  lest  they  should  interrupt  the  slumbers  of  their  way-worn  guest. 
The  next  day,  Mr.  Ogilvie,  who  was  an  enthusiast  in  physiognomy,  discov- 
ered remarkable  benevolence  in  the  features  of  the  hunter,  which,  by  the  false 
and  deceitful  glare  of  the  fire-light,  had  escaped  him,  and  in  his  recital  of  this 
adventure,  which  furnished  him  with  a  favorite  occasion  of  exercising  his  powers 
of  declamation  to  great  advantage  in  a  matter  of  real  life,  he  often  declared 
that  he  had  never  taken  a  more  refreshing  night's  rest,  or  made  a  more  grate- 
ful repast  than  he  had  done  in  this  humble  cabin. 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  WESTERN  PEOPLE. 

THE  western  man  lives  in  a  region  of  exuberant  fertility,  where  Nature  has 
scattered  her  blessings  in  unbounded  profusion.  The  excellent  laws  which 
protect  his  liberties — the  vastness  of  his  country — its  giant  forests — its  broad 
prairies — its  mighty  rivers — the  rapid  improvements  he  witnesses  constantly 
progressing,  and  the  bright  prospects  for  a  more  glorious  future  in  everything 
that  renders  life  happy  and  ennobles  character,  in  the  midst  of  which,  "  he 
lives  and  moves,  and  has  his  being  ;"  all  tend  to  deeply  impress  his  character, 
to  give  him  such  a  spirit  of  enterprise,  such  an  independence  of  feeling,  and 
such  a  full  joyousness  of  hope  as  is  utterly  unknown  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
older  nations  of  the  earth. 

The  character  of  the  western  people,  with  a  recital  of  some  of  the  promi- 
nent causes  which  have  given  them  their  peculiarities,  is  thus  given  by  one 
of  their  early  and  most  popular  writers. 

The  people  of  the  west  are  as  thorough  a  combination  and  mixture  of  all 
nations,  characters,  languages,  conditions  and  opinions  as  can  well  be  imag- 
ined. Scarcely  a  nation  in  Europe,  or  a  State  in  the  Union,  but  what  has 
furnished  us  emigrants. 

The  much  greater  proportion  of  the  emigrants  from  Europe  are  of  the  hum- 
bler classes,  who  come  here  from  hunger,  poverty  and  oppression  :  they  find 
themselves  here  with  the  joy  of  shipwrecked  mariners,  cast  on  the  untenanted 
woods,  and  instantly  become  cheered  with  the  hope  of  being  able  to  build  up 
a  family  and  a  fortune  from  new  elements. 

The  Puritan  and  the  Planter,  the  German,  the  Briton,  the  Frenchman,  the 
Irishman  and  the  Swede,  each  with  their  peculiar  prejudices  and  local  attach- 
ments, and  all  the  complicated  and  interwoven  tissue  of  sentiments,  feelings 
and  thoughts,  that  country,  kindred  and  home,  indelibly  combine  with  the 
web  of  our  youthful  existence,  have  been  set  down  beside  each- other.  The 
merchant,  mechanic  and  farmer,  each  with  their  peculiar  prejudices  and 
jealousies,  have  found  themselves  placed  by  necessity  in  the  same  society. 

Men  must  cleave  to  their  kind,  and  must  be  dependent  upon  each  other. 
Pride  and  jealousy  give  way  to  the  natural  yearnings  of  the  human  heart  for 
society.  They  begin  to  rub  off  mutual  prejudices.  One  takes  a  step  and 
then  the  other.  They  meet  half  way  and  embrace  ;  and  the  society  thus  new- 
ly organized  and  constituted,  is  more  liberal,  enlarged,  unprejudiced,  and  of 


302  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

course,  more  affectionate  and  pleasant  than  a  society  of  people  of  like  birth 
and  character,  who  bring  all  their  early  prejudices  as  a  common  stock,  to  be 
transmitted  as  an  inheritance  to  posterity. 

The  rough,  sturdy  and  simple  habits  of  the  backwoodsman,  living  in  that 
plenty  which  depends  only  upon  God  and  Nature,  and  being  the  preponderat- 
ing cast  of  character  in  the  western  country,  have  laid  the  stamina  of  inde- 
pendent thought  and  feeling  deep  in  the  breast  of  the  people.  A  man  accus- 
tomed to  the  fascinating  but  hollow  intercourse  of  the  polished  circles  m  the 
Atlantic  cities,  at  first  feels  a  painful  revulsion,  when  mingled  with  this  more 
simple  race.  But  he  soon  becomes  accustomed  to  the  new  order  of  things,  and 
if  he  have  a  heart  to  admire  simplicity,  truth  and  nature,  begins  to  be  pleased 
with  it.  He  respects  a  people  where  a  poor  but  honest  man  enters  the  most 
aristocratic  mansion  with  a  feeling  of  ease  and  equality. 

But  young  as  the  country  is,  variously  constituted  and  combined,  as  are  the 
elements  of  its  population,  there  is  already  marked,  and  it  is  every  year  more 
fully  developed,  a  distinctive  character  in  the  people.  A  traveler  from  the 
Atlantic  cities,  and  used  only  to  their  manners,  in  descending  the  Ohio  and 
the  Mississippi  in  a  steamboat  of  the  larger  class,  will  find  on  board  what 
may  be  considered  fair  samples  of  all  classes  in  our  country.  The  manners 
so  ascertained,  will  strike  such  a  traveler  as  we  have  supposed,  with  as  much 
of  novelty  distinctness,  and  we  may  add,  if  he  be  not  bigoted  and  fastidious, 
with  as  much  pleasure  as  though  he  had  visited  a  country  beyond  the  seas. 
The  dialect,  the  pronunciation,  and  the  peculiar  and  proverbial  colloquy  are 
all  different ;  and  the  figures  and  illustrations  in  common  conversation  striking- 
ly so.  The  speaking  is  more  rapid ;  the  manner  has  more  appearance  of 
earnestness  ana  abruptness  ;  the  common  comparisons  and  analogies  are  drawn 
from  different  views  and  relations  of  things.  Of  course,  he  is  every  moment 
reminded  that  he  is  a  stranger  among  a  people  whose  modes  of  existence  and 
ways  of  thinking  are  of  a  widely  different  character  from  those  in  the  midst 
of  which  he  was  reared. 

Although  we  have  been  so  often  described  to  this  traveler,  as  a  repulsive 
mixture  in  the  slang  phrase,  of  the  "  horse  and  the  alligator,"  we  confidently 
hazard  the  opinion,  that  when  little  accustomed  to  the  manners  of  the  better 
class  of  people  among  us,  he  will  institute  a  comparison  between  our  people 
and  his  own,  not  unfavorable  to  us.  There  is  evidently  more  ease  and  frank- 
ness— more  readiness  to  meet  and  wish  to  form  an  acquaintance — sufficient  tact 
when  to  advance,  and  how  far,  and  where  to  pause  in  this  effort — less  holding 
back,  less  distrust,  less  feeling — as  if  the  address  of  a  stranger  were  an  insult, 
or  a  degradation. 

A  series  of  acquaintances  are  readily  and  naturally  found  between  fellow- 
passengers,  in  their  long  descents  to  New  Orleans,  very  unlike  the  cold,  con- 
strained and  almost  repelling  and  hostile  deportment  of  fellow-passengers  in 
the  Atlantic  country. 

On  these  voyages,  where  the  boat  glides  steadily  and  swiftly  along  the 
verge  of  the  fragrant  willows,  the  green  shores  are  always  seen  with  the  same 
glance  that  takes  in  the  magnificent  and  broad  expanse  of  the  Mississippi. 
The  passengers,  every  day,  have  their  promenade.  The  claims  of  prescrip- 
tion on  the  score  of  wealth,  family,  office  and  adventitious  distinctions  of 
every  sort,  are  laid  aside  or  pass  for  nothing.  The  estimation,  the  worth  anJ 
interest  of  a  person,  are  naturally  tried  on  his  simple  merits,  his  power  of  con- 
versation, his  innate  civility,  his  capacities  to  arouse,  and  his  good  feeling. 

The  distinctive  character  of  the  western  people  may  be  traced  in  its  minuter 
shades,  to  a  thousand  different  causes.  Their  forests  and  prairies  COIKUI 
with  their  inclinations  and  abundant  leisure,  to  give  them  the  spirit-stirrm.; 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  303 

and  adventurous  habits  of  the  chase.  The  early  training  to  leave  the  endear- 
ments and  the  enjoyments  of  home,  on  voyages  oi  constant  exposure, 
and  often  of  a  length  of  more  than  five  hundred  leagues,  will  naturally  tend 
to  create  a  character  widely  unlike  the  more  shrinking,  stationary  and  regu- 
lar habits  of  the  people  of  the  older  country. 

Thus  a  great  proportion  of  the  males  of  the  western  country,  of  a  relative 
standing  and  situation  in  life,  to  be  most  likely  to  impress  their  opinions  and 
manners  upon  society  have  made  the  voyage  of  the  Mississippi  to  New  Or- 
leans. They  have  passed  through  different  states  with  men  of  different  na- 
tions, languages  and  manners.  They  have  experienced  that  expansion  of 
mind  which  cannot  tail  to  be  produced  by  traversing  long  distances  of  country 
and  viewing  different  forms  of  nature  and  society. 

The  Religious  Character. — The  experiment  is  being  made  in  this  vast  re- 
gion of  future  empires  upon  a  broad  scale,  which  will  test  the  question  whe- 
ther religion,  as  a  national  trait,  can  be  maintained  without  legislative  aid, 
or  a  union  with  the  civil  power.  Men  are  here  left  free  to  adopt  such  re- 
ligious views  and  tenets  as  they  choose,  and  the  laws  protect  every  man  alike 
in  his  religious  opinions.  Ministers  of  the  Gospel  and  priests,  being  pre- 
sumed as  devoted  to  humanity,  charity,  and  general  benevolence,  are  pre- 
cluded by  many  of  the  State  constitutions  from  any  active  participation  in  the 
legislative  authority,  and  their  compensation  depends  upon  the  voluntary  aid 
of  those  among  whom  they  labor  in  charity  and  love.  In  a  wide  country, 
with  large  districts,  yet  sparsely  populated,  there  are  comparatively  few  sta- 
tionary ministers;  yet  there  are  thousands,  embracing  all  denominations,  who 
traverse  the  whole  country,  forming  an  itinerant  corps,  who  visit  in  rotation, 
within  their  respective  bounds,  every  settlement,  town  and  village.  Unsus- 
tained  by  the  rigid  precepts  of  law  in  any  privileges,  perquisites,  fixed  revenue, 
prescribed  reverence  or  authority,  except  such  as  is  voluntarily  acknowledged, 
the  clergy  find  that  success  depends  upon  the  due  cultivation  of  popular 
talents.  Zeal  for  the  great  cause,  mixed,  perhaps,  with  a  spice  of  earthly 
ambition,  the  innate  sense  of  emulation,  and  laudable  pride,  a  desire  of  dis- 
tinction among  their  cotemporaries  and  brethren,  prompt  them  to  seek  popu- 
larity, and  to  study  all  the  arts  and  means  of  winning  the  popular  favor. 
Traveling  from  month  to  month  through  dark  forests,  with  such  ample  time 
for  deep  thought,  as  they  amble  slowly  along  the  lonesome  horse-path  or  un- 
frequented road,  they  naturally  acquire  a  pensive  and  romantic  turn  of  thought 
and  expression,  which  is  often  favorable  to  eloquence.  Henee  this  preaching 
is  of  a  highly  popular  cast,  its  first  aim  being  to  excite  the  feelings  and  mold 
them  to  their  own:  hence,  too,  excitements,  or,  in  religious  parlance, 
"awakenings,"  or  "revivals,"  are  common  in  all  this  region.  Living  remote 
from  each  other,  and  spending  much  of  their  time  in  Homestic  solitude  in 
vast  forests  or  wide-spreading  prairies,  the  "appointment"  for  preaching  is 
often  looked  upon  as  a  gala-day  or  a  pleasing  change,  which  brings  together 
the  auditors  from  remote  points,  and  gratifies  a  feeling  of  curiosity,  which 
prompts  them  to  associate  and  interchange  cordial  congratulations. 

Religious  excitements  sometimes  pervade  a  town  or  settlement,  or  even  an 
extensive  section  of  country,  simultaneously.  People  in  every  direction  are 
fired  with  a  desire  to  be  present  at  the  appointed  time  and  place  of  meeting. 
They  assemble  as  to  an  imposing  spectacle;  they  pour  in  from  their  woods 
and  remote  seclusions  to  witness  the  assemblage,  and  to  hear  the  new  preacher, 
whose  eloquence  and  fame  have  preceded  him.  The  preaching  has  a  scenic 
efTe:t;  it  is  a  theme  of  earnest  discussion,  with  apt  illustrations,  forcible  ar- 
guments, and  undaunted  zeal.  The  people  are  naturally  more  sensitive  and 
enthusiastic  than  in  older  countries.  A  man  of  rude,  boisterous,  but  native 
38 


304  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

eloquence  rises  among  these  children  of  the  forest,  and  of  simple  nature,  with 
his  voice  pitched  to  the  highest  tones,  and  his  utterance  thrilling  with  that 
awful  theme  to  which  each  string  of  the  human  heart  responds,  and  while  the 
woods  echo  his  vehement  declamations,  his  audience  is  alternately  dissolved 
in  tears,  awed  to  profound  ecstasy  of  feeling,  or,  falling  convulsed  by  spasms, 
attests  the  power  of  western  pulpit  eloquence. 

In  no  instance  are  these  effects  more  striking  than  at  a  regular  "  camp  meet 
ing."  No  one  who  has  not  seen  and  observea  for  himself,  can  imagine  how 
profoundly  the  preachers  have  understood  what  produces  effect  among  the 
western  people,  and  how  well  they  have  practiced  upon  it.  Suppose  the 
scene  to  be  in  one  of  those  regions  where  religious  excitements  have  been 
frequent  and  extensive,  in  one  of  the  beautiful,  fertile,  and  finely-watered  val- 
leys of  Tennessee,  surrounded  by  grand  and  towering  mountains.  The  notice 
has  been  circulated  for  several  weeks  or  months,  and  all  are  eager  to  attend 
the  long-expected  occasion.  The  country,  perhaps,  for  fifty  miles  around,  is 
excited  with  the  cheerful  anticipation  of  the  approaching  festival  of  religious 
feeling  and  social  friendship.  On  the  appointed  day,  coaches,  chaises, 
wagons,  carts,  people  on  horseback  and  on  foot,  in  multitudes,  with  provision- 
wagons,  tents,  mattresses,  household  implements,  and  cooking  utensils,  are 
seen  hurrying  from  every  direction  toward  the  central  point.  It  is  in  the 
midst  of  a  grove  of  beautiful,  lofty,  umbrageous  trees,  natural  to  the  western 
country,  clothed  in  their  deepest  verdure,  and  near  some  sparkling  stream  or 
gushing  fountain,  which  supplies  the  host  with  wholesome  water  for  man  and 
beast.  The  encampment  spreads  through  the  forest,  over  hundreds  of  acres, 
and  soon  the  sylvan  village  springs  up  as  if  by  magic;  the  line  of  tents  and 
booths  is  pitched  in  a  semicircle,  or  in  a  four-sided  parallelogram,  inclosing 
an  area  of  two  acres  or  more,  for  the  arrangement  of  seats  and  aisles  around 
the  rude  pulpit  and  altar  for  the  thronging  multitude,  all  eager  to  hear  the 
heavenly  message. 

Toward  night,  t*he  hour  cf  solemn  service  approaches,  when  the  vast  sylvan 
bower  of  the  deep  umbrageous  forest  is  illumined  by  numerous  lamps  sus- 
pended around  the  line  of  tents  which  encircles  the  public  area,  beside  the 
frequent  altars  distributed  over  the  same,  which  send  forth  a  glare  of  light 
from  their  fagot  fires  upon  the  worshiping  throng,  and  the  majestic  forest 
with  an  imposing  effect,  which  elevates  the  soul  to  fit  converse  with  its  crea- 
tor, God. 

"The  scenery  of  the  most  brilliant  theater  in  the  world,  is  only  a  painting 
for  children  compared  to  this.  Meantime,  the  multitudes,  with  the  highest 
excitement  of  social  feeling,  added  to  the  general  enthusiasm  of  expectation, 
pass  from  tent  to  tent,  and  interchange  apostolic  greetings  and  embraces,  and 
talk  of  the  approaching  solemnities.  A  few  minutes  suffice  to  finish  the  even- 
ing repast,  when  the  moon  (for  they  take  thought  to  appoint  the  meeting  at 
the  proper  time  of  the  moon)  begins  to  show  its  disc  above  the  dark  summits 
of  the  mountains,  and  a  few  stars  are  seen  glimmering  in  the  west,  and  the 
service  begins.  The  whole  constitutes  a  temple  worthy  of  the  grandeur  of 
God.  An  old  man  in  a  dress  of  the  quaintest  simplicity  ascends  a  platform, 
wipes  the  dust  from  his  spectacles,  and,  in  a  voice  of  suppressed  emotion, 
gives  out  the  hymn,  of  which  the  whole  assembled  multitude  can  recite  the 
•words,  to  be  sung  with  an  air  in  which  every  voice  can  join.  We  should 
esteem  meanly  the  heart  that  would  not  thrill  as  the  song  is  heard,  'like  the 
sound  of  many  waters,'  echoing  among  the  hills  and  mountains."  The  ser- 
vice proceeds.  "  The, hoary  orator  talks  of  God,  of  eternity,  of  a  judgment 
to  come,  and  of  all  that  is  impressive  beyond.  He  speaks  of  his  'experiences', 
his  toils,  and  his  travels,  his  persecutions  and  his  welcomes,  and  how  many 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  305 

he  has  seen  in  hope,  in  peace,  and  triumph  gathered  to  their  fathers;  and 
when  he  speaks  of  the  short  space  that  remains  to  him,  his  only  regret  is  that 
he  can  no  more  proclaim,  in  the  silence  of  death,  the  unsearchable  riches  and 
mercies  of  his  crucified  Redeemer." 

"No  wonder,  as  the  speaker  pauses  to  dash  the  gathering  moisture  from 
his  own  eye,  that  his  audience  is  dissolved  in  tears,  or  uttering  exclamations 
of  penitence.  Nor  is  it  cause  for  admiration,  that  many  who  prided  them- 
selves on  an  estimation  of  a  higher  intellect  and  a  nobler  insensibility  than 
the  crowd,  catch  the  infectious  feeling,  and  become  women  and  children  iii 
their  turn,  while  others,  'who  came  to  mock,  remain  to  pray.": 

And  who  constitute  the  audience,  and  who  are  the  speakers?  "  A  host  of 
preachers  of  different  denominations  are  there,  some  in  the  earnest  vigor  and 
aspiring  desires  of  youth,  waiting  an  opportunity  for  display:  others  are  there 
who  have  proclaimed  the  Gospel  as  pilgrims  of  the  cross,  from  the  remotest 
lakes  of  Canada  on  the  north,  to  the  shores  of  the  Mexican  Gulf  on  the 
sonth,  and  who  are  ready  to  utter  the  words,  the  feelings,  and  experience 

h.ch  they  have  treasured  up  in  a  traveling  ministry  of  fifty  years,  and  whose 
nts,  trembling  with  age,  still  more  impressively  than  their  words,  announce 
that  they  will  soon  travel  and  preach  no  more  on  earth." 

But  the  ambitious  and  the  wealthy,  too,  are  there;  for  in  this  region  opin- 
ion is  all-powerful.  They  are  there,  either  to  extend  their  influence,  or,  lest 
even  their  absence  might  prejudice  their  good  name.  Aspirants  for  office  are 
there,  to  electioneer  and  to  gain  popularity.  Vast  numbers  are  there  from 
simple  curiosity,  and  merely  to  enjoy  the  spectacle.  The  young  and  beauti- 
ful are  there,  with  mixed  motives,  which  it  were  best  not  to  scrutinize  se- 
verely. Children  are  there,  and  their  young  eyes  glisten  with  intense  inter- 
est of  eager  curiosity.  The  middle-aged  fathers  and  mothers  are  there,  with 
the  sober  view  of  people  whose  plans  of  life  are  fixed,  and  who  wait  calmly 
to  hear.  Men  and  women  of  hoary  hairs  are  there,  with  such  thoughts,  it 
may  be  hoped,  as  their  years  invite.  Such  is  the  congregation,  consisting  of 
thousands. 


FASCINATING  LIFE  OF  THE  MOUNTAIN  HUNTER. 

A  TRAVELER  who  spent  a  winter  among  the  wild  scenes,  and  still  wilder 
characters  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  has  given  the  following  vivid  descrip- 
tion of  the  fascinating  life  of  the  mountain  hunter. 

When  I  turned  my  horse's  head  from  Pike's  Peak,  I  quite  regretted  the 
abandonment  of  my  mountain  life,  solitary  as  it  was,  and  more  than  once 
thought  of  again  taking  the  trail  to  the  Salado  valley,  where  I  enjoyed  such 
good  sport.  Apart  from  the  feeling  of  loneliness,  which  any  one  in  my  situa- 
tion must  naturally  have  experienced,  surrounded  by  stupendous  works  of 
nature,  which  in  all  their  solitary  grandeur  frowned  upon  me,  and  sinking  into 
utter  insignificance,  the  miserable  mortal  who  crept  beneath  their  shadow; 
still  there  was  something  inexpressibly  exhilarating  in  the  sensation  of  posi- 
tive freedom  from  all  worldly  care,  and  a  consequent  expansion  of  the  sinews, 
as  it  were,  of  mind  and  body,  which  made  me  feel  elastic  as  a  ball  of  India 
rubber,  and  in  such  a  state  of  perfect  ease,  that  no  more  dread  of  scalping 
Indians  entered  my  mind,  than  if  I  had  been  sitting  in  Broadway,  in  one  ot 
the  windows  of  the  Astor  House.  A  citizen  of  the  world,  I  never  found  any, 
difficulty  in  investing  my  resting-place,  wherever  it  might  be,  with  the  attri- 
butes of  a  home;  and  hailed  with  delight,  equal  to  that  which  the  artificial 
comforts  of  a  civilized  home  would  have  caused,  the,  to  me,  domestic  appear 


306  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

ance  of  my  hoppled  animals  as  they  grazed  around  the  camp,  when  I  returned 
from  a  hard  day's  hunt. 

Although  liable  to  an  accusation  of  barbarism,  I  must  confess  that  the  very 
happiest  moments  of  my  life  have  been  spent  in  the  wilderness  of  the  Far 
West ;  and  I  never  recall  but  with  pleasure,  the  remembrance  of  my  solitary 
camp  in  the  Bayou  Salado,  with  no  friend  near  me  more  faithful  than  my 
rifle,  and  no  companions  more  sociable  than  my  horse  and  mules,  or  the  at- 
tendant coyote  (prairie  wolf),  which  nightly  serenaded  me.  With  a  plenti- 
ful supply  of  dry  pine  logs  on  the  fire,  and  its  cheerful  blaze  streaming  far  up 
into  the  sky,  illuminating  the  valley  far  and  near,  and  exhibiting  the  animals, 
with  well  filled  bellies,  standing  contentedly  over  their  picket-pins,  I  would 
sit  cross-legged  enjoying  the  genial  warmth,  and  pipe  in  mouth,  watch  the 
blue  smoke  as  it  curled  upward,  building  castles  in  its  vapory  wreaths  and  in 
the  fantastic  shapes  it  ascended.  Scarcely  did  I  ever  wish  to  change  such 
hours  of  freedom  for  all  the  luxuries  of  civilized  life,  and  unnatural  and  ex- 
traordinary as  it  may  appear,  yet  such  are  the  fascinations  of  the  life  of  the 
mountain  hunter,  that  I  believe  that  not  one  instance  could  be  adduced  of 
even  the  most  polished  and  civilized  of  men,  who  had  once  tasted  the  sweets 
of  its  attendant  liberty  and  freedom  from  every  worldly  care,  not  regretting 
the  moment  when  he  exchanged  the  monotonous  life  of  the  settlements,  nor 
sighing  and  sighing  again,  once  more  to  partake  of  its  pleasures  and  allure- 
ments. 

A  hunter's  camp  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  is  quite  a  picture.  It  is  inva- 
riably made  in  a  picturesque  locality,  for,  like  the  Indian,  the  white  hunter 
has  ever  an  eye  to  the  beautiful.  Nothing  can  be  more  social  and  cheering 
than  the  welcome  blaze  of  the  camp-fire  on  a  cold  winter's  night,  and  nothing 
more  amusing  or  entertaining,  if  not  instructive,  than  the  rough  conversation 
of  the  simple-minded  mountaineers,  whose  nearly  daily  talk  is  all  of  exciting 
adventure,  since  their  whole  existence  is  spent  in  scenes  of  peril  and  privation ; 
and  consequently  the  narration  of  their  every-day  life  is  a  tale  of  thrilling  ac- 
cidents arid  hair-breadth  escapes,  which,  though  simple  matter  of  fact  to  them, 
appear  a  startling  romance  to  those  unacquainted  with  the  nature  of  the  lives 
led  by  those  men,  who,  with  the  sky  for  a  roof,  and  their  rifles  to  supply 
them  with  food  and  clothing,  call  no  man  lord  or  master,  and  are  as  free  as 
the  game  they  follow. 


ADVENTURE  OF  A  TRAPPER. 

THE  grizzly  bear  is  the  fiercest  animal  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  His 
great  strength  and  wonderful  tenacity  of  life,  renders  an  encounter  with  him  so 
full  of  danger,  that  both  the  Indian  and  white  hunters  never  attack  him  unless 
backed  by  a  strong  party.  Although  like  every  other  wild  animal,  he  usually 
flees  from  man,  yet  at  certain  seasons,  when  maddened  by  either  love  or  hun- 
ger, he  not  unfrequently  charges  at  first  sight  of  a  foe,  when,  unless  killed,  a 
hug  at  close  quarters  is  anything  but  a  pleasant  embrace,  his  strong  hooked 
claws  stripping  the  flesh  from  the  bones  as  easily  as  a  cook  peels  onions. 
They  attain  a  weight  of  near  a  thousand  pounds,  and  not  unfrequently  their 
bodies  are  eight  and  ten  feet  in  length.  So  gigantic  is  their  strength,  that 
they  will  carry  off  the  body  of  a  buffalo  to  a  considerable  distance.  Many 
are  the  tales  of  bloody  encounters  with  these  animals,  which  the  trappers  de- 
light to  relate,  to  illustrate  the  fool-hardiness  of  ever  attacking  the  grizzly 
bear. 

Some  years  ago,  a  trapping  party  were  on  their  way  to  the  mountains,  led, 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC-  307 

we  believe,  by  old  Sublette,  a  well  known  captain  of  the  west.  Among  the 
band,  was  John  Glass,  a  trapper  who  had  been  all  his  life  amon"  the  moun- 
tains, and  had  seen,  probably,  more  exciting  adventures,  and  had  had  more 
wonderful  and  hair-breadth  escapes  than  any  of  the  rough  and  hardy  fellows 
who  make  the  far  west  their  home,  and  whose  lives  are  spent  in  a  succession 
of  perils  and  privations.  On  one  of  the  streams  running  from  the  "  Black 
Hills,"  a  range  of  mountains  northward  of  the  Platte,  Glass  and  a  companion 
were,  one  day,  setting  their  traps,  when  on  passing  through  a  cherry  thicket, 
which  skirted  the  stream,  the  former,  who  was  in  advance,  descried  a  large 
grizzly  bear  quietly  turning  up  the  turf  with  his  nose,  searching  for  pig-nuts, 
Glass  immediately  called  his  companion,  and  both  proceeding  cautiously, 
crept  to  the  skirt  of  the  thicket,  and  taking  steady  aim  at  the  animal,  dis 
charged  their  rifles  at  the  same  instant,  both  balls  taking  effect,  but  not  inflict- 
ing a  mortal  wound.  The  bear  giving  a  groan  of  agony,  jumped  with  all 
four  legs  from  the  ground,  and  charged  at  once  upon  his  enemy,  snorting  with 
pain  and  fury. 

"  Hurra,  Bill,"  roared  out  Glass,  as  he  saw  the  animal  rushing  toward  them, 
"  we'll  be  made  'meat'  of,  sure  as  shootin' !"  He  then  bolted  through  the 
thicket,  followed  closely  by  his  companions.  The  brush  was  so  thick  that  they 
could  scarcely  make  their  way  through,  while  the  weight  and  strength  of  the 
bear  carried  him  through  all  obstructions,  and  he  was  soon  close  upon  them. 

About  a  hundred  yards  from  the  thicket,  was  a  steep  bluff;  Glass  shouted 
to  his  companion  to  make  to  this  bluff  as  the  only  chance.  They  flew  across 
the  intervening  open  and  level  space  like  lightning.  When  nearly  across, 
Glass  tripped  over  a  stone  and  fell,  and  just  as  he  rose,  the  bear  rising  on  his 
hind  feet,  confronted  him.  As  he  closed,  Glass,  never  losing  his  presence  of 
mind,  cried  to  his  companion  to  close  up  quickly,  and  discharged  his  pistol 
full  into  the  body  of  the  animal,  at  the  same  moment  that  the  bear,  with  blood 
streaming  from  his  nose  and  mouth,  knocked  the  pistol  from  his  hand  with 
one  blow  of  its  paw,  and  fixing  its  claws  deep  into  his  flesh,  rolled  with  him 
to  the  ground.  The  hunter,  notwithstanding  his  hopeless  situation,  struggled 
manfully,  drawing  his  knife  and  plunging  it  several  times  into  the  body  of  the 
beast,  which,  ferocious  with  pain,  tore  with  tooth  and  claw,  the  body  of  the 
wretched  victim,  actually  baring  the  ribs  of  flesh  and  exposing  the  very  bones. 
Weak  from  loss  of  blood,  and  blinded  with  blood  which  streamed  from  his 
lacerated  scalp,  the  knife  at  length  fell  from  his  hand,  and  Glass  sank  down 
insensible  and  apparently  dead. 

His  companion,  who,  up  to  this  moment,  had  watched  the  conflict,  which, 
however,  lasted  but  a  few  seconds,  thinking  that  his  turn  would  come  next, 
and  not  having  even  presence  of  mind  to  load  his  rifle,  fled  back  to  the  camp, 
and  narrated  the  miserable  fate  of  poor  Glass.  The  captain  of  the  band.of 
trappers,  however,  dispatched  the  man  with  a  companion,  back  to  the  spot. 
On  reaching  the  place,  which  was  red  with  blood,  they  found  Glass  still 
breathing,  and  the  bear  dead  and  stiff,  actually  lying  upon  his  body.  Poor 
Glass  presented  a  horrid  spectacle ;  the  flesh  was  torn  in  strips  from  his  bones 
and  limbs,  and  large  flaps  strewed  the  ground ;  his  scalp  hung  bleeding  over 
his  face,  which  was  also  lacerated  in  a  shocking  manner.  The  bear,  beside 
the  three  bullets  in  his  body,  bore  the  marks  of  about  twenty  gaping  wounds 
in  the  breast  and  belly,  testifying  to  the  desperate  defense  of  the  mountaineer. 
Imagining  that  if  not  already  dead,  the  poor  fellow  could  not  possibly  survive 
more  than  a  few  moments,  the  men  collected  his  arms,  stripped  him  of  even 
his  hunting-shirt  and  moccasins,  and  merely  pulling  the  dead  bear  off  from 
the  body,  they  returned  to  their  party,  reporting  that  Glass  was  dead,  and 
that  they  had  buried  him.  In  a  few  days,  the  gloom  which  pervaded  the 


308  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

trappers'  camp,  at  his  loss,  disappeared,  and  the  incident,  although  frequently 
mentioned  over  the  camp-fire,  at  length  was  almost  entirely  forgotten  in  the 
excitement  of  the  hunt  and  the  Indian  perils  which  surrounded  them. 

Months  elapsed,  the  hunt  was  over,  and  the  party  of  trappers  were  on  their 
way  to  the  trading  fort  with  their  packs  of  beaver.  It  was  nearly  sundown, 
and  the  round  adobe  bastions  of  the  mud-built  fort  were  just  in  sight,  when  a 
horseman  was  seen  slowly  approaching  them  along  the  banks  of  the  river. 
When  near  enough  to  discern  his  figure,  they  saw  a  lank,  cadaverous  form, 
with  a  face  so  scarred  and  disfigured  that  scarcely  a  feature  was  discernible. 
Approaching  the  leading  horsemen,  one  of  whom  happened  to  be  the  com- 
panion of  the  defunct  Glass  in  his  memorable  bear  scrape,  the  stranger  in  a 
hollow  voice,  reining  in  his  horse  before  them,  exclaimed  : 

"  Hurra,  Bill,  my  boy !  you  thought  I  was  "  gone  under"  that  time,  did 
you  ?  but  hand  me  over  my  horse  and  gun,  my  lad ;  I  ain't  dead  yet,  by  a  long 
shot !"  What  was  the  astonishment  of  the  whole  party,  and  the  genuine  hor- 
ror of  Bill  and  his  worthy  companion  in  the  burial  story,  to  hear  the  well- 
known  but  now  altered  voice  of  John  Glass,  who  had  been  killed  by  a  grizzly 
bear  months  before,  and  comfortably  interred  as  the  two  men  had  reported 
and  all  had  believed  ! 

There  he  was,  however,  and  no  mistake ;  and  all  crowded  around  to  hear 
from  his  lips,  how,  after  the  lapse  of,  he  knew  not  how  long,  he  gradually 
recovered,  and  being  without  arms  or  even  a  butcher-knife,  he  had  fed  upon 
the  almost  putrid  carcass  of  the  bear  for  several  days,  until  he  had  regained 
sufficient  strength  to  crawl,  when  tearing  off  as  much  of  the  bear's  meat  as  he 
could  carry  in  his  enfeebled  state,  he  crept  down  the  river ;  and  suffering  ex- 
cessive torture  from  his  wounds,  and  hunger  and  cold,  he  made  the  best  of 
his  way  to  the  fort,  which  was  some  eighty  or  ninety  miles  distant,  and  liv- 
ing mainly  upon  roots  and  berries,  he,  after  many,  many  days,  arrived  in  a 
pitiable  state,  from  which  he  had  now  recovered,  and  was,  to  use  his  own 
expression,  "  as  slick  as  a  peeled  onion." 


THE  COMMERCE  OF  THE  PRAIRIES. 

THE  overland  trade  between  the  United  States  and  Santa  Fe,  grew  out  of 
accidental  circumstances.  In  1805,  James  Pursley  crossed  the  desert  plains 
of  the  West  to  Santa  Fe,  being  the  first  American  who  ever  passed  over  the 
western  plains  into  the  Spanish  provinces.  The  year  previous,  however, 
Morrison,  a  merchant  of  Kaskaskia,  in  consequence  of  information  obtained 
from  the  trappers  through  the  Indians,  relative  to  the  isolated  province  of 
Santa  Fe,  dispatched  La  Lande,  a  French  Creole,  with  a  quantity  of  goods 
up  Platte  River,  with  directions  to  push  his  way  into  Santa  Fe,  if  practicable. 
He  was  successful  in  the  enterprise ;  but  instead  of  returning  to  account  to 
his  employer  for  the  proceeds  of  the  adventure,  appropriated  the  funds  to  set- 
ting up  business  in  Santa  Fe  on  his  own  account,  where  he  remained  until 
his  death,  some  twenty  years  after,  having  in  the  meantime,  married,  grown 
rich,  and  become  one  of  the  nabobs  of  the  place. 

The  Santa  Fe  trade  attracted  but  little  notice,  until  Capt.  Pike  returned 
from  his  expedition  made  in  1806  and  1807.  His  exciting  descriptions  of 
the  new  El  Dorado,  spread  like  wild  fire  through  the  West.  In  1812,  an 
expedition  was  fitted  out  under  the  auspices  of  M'Knight,  Beard,  Chambers, 
and  eight  or  ten  others,  who  succeeded  in  crossing  the  dreary  western  wilds 
in  safety  to  Santa  Fe.  B  U  the  royalists  having  gained  the  ascendancy,  the 
injurious  restrictions  which  had  formerly  rendered  all  foreign  intercourse, 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  309 

except  by  permission  of  the  Spanish  Government  illegal,  being  again  in  force, 
these  unfortunate  traders  immediately  on  their  arrival,  were  seized  and  car- 
ried to  Chihuahua,  and  imprisoned  there  until  1821,  when,  the  republicans 
again  obtaining  the  ascendancy,  they  were  released.  The  glowing  reports 
which  they  circulated  upon  their  return,  induced  others  to  launch  into  the 
same  field  of  enterprise  ;  and  the  same  year,.  Glenn,  an  Indian  trader,  near  the 
mouth  of  Verdigris  River,  and  Capt.  Becknell,  a  Missourian,  with  small  par- 
ties, went  to  Santa  Fe,  and  made  profitable  expeditions. 

Up  to  this  date,  New  Mexico  had  derived  all  her  supplies  from  the  Interior 
of  Mexico  by  the  way  of  Santa  Cruz,  but  at  such  exorbitant  prices,  that  com- 
mon cotton-cloth  sold  as  high  as  two  and  three  dollars  per  yard. 

In  his  next  expedition,  Capt.  Becknell,  in  his  anxiety  to  avoid  the  circuit- 
ous route  by  the  Upper  Arkansas,  which  he  had  first  taken,  attempted  a  more 
direct  course  across  the  pathless  desert,  with  but  little  suspicion  of  the  terrible 
trials  which  awaited  them  on  the  arid  plains.  They  were  soon  unable  to 
procure  any  water,  and  after  two  days'  march,  the  sufferings  of  both  men  and 
beasts  had 'driven  them  almost  to  distraction.  Frantic  with  despair,  with  a 
horrible  death  staring  them  in  the  face,  they  scattered  about  the  country  in 
the  vain  search  for  water,  and  like  the  travelers  in  the  great  deserts  of  the 
East,  often  led  astray  by  the  deceptive  glimmer  of  the  mirage  or  false  ponds. 
Unknown  to  them,  they  were  near  the  banks  of  the  Cimarron,  but  would,  not- 
withstanding, have  perished,  had  they  not  providentially  met  with  and  killed 
a  buffalo  fresh  from  the  river's  side,  whose  stomach  was  distended  with  water. 

The  success  of  Becknell  and  Glenn,  soon  induced  numerous  other  expedi- 
tions, and  it  is  from  this  period,  1822,  that  the  virtual  commencement  of  the 
Santa  Fe  trade  may  be  dated.  In  1824,  a  company  of  eighty  Missouri 
traders  first  introduced  wagons  in  these  expeditions.  The  town  of  Franklin 
was  originally,  the  place  of  outfit  for  the  expeditions,  but  eventually,  Inde- 
pendence, on  the  western  border  of  Missouri,  became  the  prominent  point  of 
embarkation  for  every  part  of  the  great  western  and  northern  "prairie  ocean," 
though  Van  Buren,  in  Arkansas,  has  some  advantages  as  a  starting  point  for 
New  Mexico. 

Among  the  concourse  at  this  starting  point,  pale-faced  invalids  were  fre- 
quently met  with,  who  joined  the  caravans  for  the  sake  of  health.  Most 
chronic  diseases,  particularly  liver  complaints,  dyspepsias,  and  similar  affec- 
tions, are  often  radically  cured  by  a  tour  on  the  prairies,  owing,  no  doubt,  to 
the  peculiarities  of  diet,  regular  exercise,  and  the  purity  of  the  atmosphere. 

The  caravans  did  not  organize  until  they  reached  Council  Grove,  a  beau- 
tifully wooded  locality  five  hundred  and  twenty -five  miles  from  Santa  Fe,  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  advance  of  Independence.  This  is  the  most 
northern  limit  of  the  wanderings  of  the  Camanches. 

It  derived  its  name  from  the  practice  among  the  traders  of  assembling  there 
for  the  appointment  of  officers,  and  the  establishment  of  rules  and  regulations 
to  govern  their  march  through  the  dangerous  country  south  of  it.  They  first 
elected  a  commander-in-chief.  His  duty  was  to  appoint  subordinate  leaders, 
and  to  divide  the  owners  and  men  into  watches,  and  to  assign  them  their  sev- 
eral hours  of  duty  in  guarding  the  camp  during  the  remainder  of  their  peril- 
ous journey.  He  also  divided  the  caravan  into  two  parts,  each  of  which 
formed  a  column  when  on  march.  In  these  lines,  he  assigned  each  team  the 
place  in  which  it  must  always  be  found.  Having  arranged  these  several 
matters,  the  council  broke  up ;  and  the  commander,  with  the  guard  on  duty, 
moved  off  in  advance  to  select  the  track,  and  anticipate  approaching  danger. 
After  this  guard,  the  head  teams  of  each  column  led  off  about  thirty  feet  apart, 
and  the  others  followed  in  regular  lines  ;  rising  and  dipping  gloriously  ;  with 


310  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

frequently,  as  many  as  two  hundred  men,  one  hundred  wagons,  with  near 
half  a  million  in  goods;  eight  hundred  mules  and  oxen.  Shoutings  and 
whippings,  and  whistlings  and  cheerings,  were  all  there;  and  amidst  them 
all,  the  hardy  Yankees  moved  happily  onward. 

Several  objects  were  gained  by  this  arrangement  of  the  wagons.  If  they 
were  attacked  on  the  march  by  the  Camanche  cavalry,  or  other  foes,  the  lead- 
ing teams  filed  to  the  right  and  left,  and  closed  the  front;  aud  the  hindermost, 
by  a  similar  movement,  closed  the  rear ;  and  thus  they  formed  an  oblong  ram- 
part of  wagons  laden  with  cotton-goods,  that  effectually  shielded  teams  and 
men  from  the  small  arms  of  the  Indians.  The  same  arrangement  was  made 
when  they  halted  at  night. 

Within  the  area  thus  formed,  were  put,  after  they  were  fed,  many  of  the 
more  valuable  horses  and  oxen.  The  remainder  of  the  animals  were  "  staked  " 
— that  is,  tied  to  stakes,  at  a  distance  of  twenty  or  thirty  yards  around  the 
line.  The  ropes  by  which  they  were  fastened,  were  from  thirty  to  forty  feet 
in  length  ;  and  the  stakes  to  which  they  were  attached,  were  carefully  driven 
to  such  distances  apart,  as  prevented  their  being  entangled  one  with  another. 

Among  these  animals  the  guard  on  duty  was  stationed,  standing  motionless 
near  them,  or  crouching  so  as  to  discover  every  moving  spot  upon  the  horizon 
of  night.  The  reasons  assigned  for  this  were,  that  a  guard  in  motion  would 
be  discovered  and  h'red  upon  by  the  cautious  savage,  before  his  presence  could 
be  known;  and  farther,  that  it  was  impossible  to  discern  the  approach  of  an 
Indian  creeping  among  the  grass  in  the  dark,  unless  the  eye  of  the  observer 
be  so  close  to  the  ground,  as  to  bring  the  whole  surface  lying  within  the  range 
of  vision,  between  it  and  the  line  of  light  around  the  lower  edge  of  the 
horizon. 

If  the  camp  was  attacked,  the  guard  fired  and  retreated  to  the  wagons. 
The  whole  body  then  took  positions  for  defense  ;  at  one  time  sallying  out  to 
rescue  their  animals  from  the  grasp  of  the  Indians  ;  and  at  another  concealed 
behind  their  wagons,  loading  and  firing  upon  their  intruders  with  all  possible 
skill  and  rapidity. 

At  an  early  day,  when  the  Santa  Fe  traders  traveled  in  small  parties,  they 
were  frequently  attacked  by  the  wild  prairie  Indians.  A  terrible  calamity 
befell  a  small  party  of  American  traders,  in  the  winter  of  1832-3,  on  their 
way  home  from  Santa  Fe.  The  party  consisted  of  twelve  men,  chiefly  citi- 
zens of  Missouri.  Their  baggage  and  about  ten  thousand  dollars  in  specie 
were  packed  upon  mules.  They  took  the  route  of  the  Canadian  river,  fearing 
to  venture  on  the  northern  prairies  at  that  season  of  the  year.  Having  left 
Santa  Fe  in  December,  they  had  proceeded  without  accident  thus  far,  when 
a  large  body  of  Camanches  and  Kiawas  were  seen  advancing  toward  them. 
Being  well  acquainted  with  the  treacherous  and  pusillanimous  disposition  of 
those  races,  the  traders  prepared  at  once  for  defense;  but  the  savages  having 
made  a  halt  at  some  distance,  began  to  approach  one  by  one,  or  in  small 
parties,  making  a  great  show  of  friendship  all  the  while,  until  most  of  them 
had  collected  on  the  spot.  Finding  themselves  surrounded  in  every  direction, 
the  travelers  now  began  to  move  on,  in  hopes  of  getting  rid  of  the  intruders : 
but  the  latter  were  equally  ready  for  the  start;  and  mounting  their  horses, 
kept  jogging  on  in  the  same  direction.  The  first  act  of  hostility  perpetrated 
by  the  Indians,  proved  fatal  to  one  of  the  American  traders  named  Pratt,  who 
was  shot  dead,  while  attempting  to  secure  two  mules  which  had  become  se- 
parated from  the  rest.  Upon  this,  the  companions  of  the  slain  man  imme- 
diately dismounted  and  commenced  a  tire  upon  the  Indians,  which  was  warmly 
returned,  whereby  another  man  of  the  name  of  Mitchell  was  killed. 

By  this  time  the  traders  had  taken  off  their  packs  and  piled  them  around 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  311 

Tor  protection;  and  now  falling  to  work  with  their  hands,  they  very  soon 
scratched  out  a  trench  deep  enough  to  protect  them  from  the  shot  of  the  ene- 
my. The  latter  made  several  desperate  charges,  but  they  seemed  too  careful 
;of  their  own  personal  safety,  notwithstanding  the  enormous  superiority  of 
itheir  numbers,  to  venture  too  near  the  rifles  of  the  Americans.  In  a  few 
|hours  all  the  animals  of  the  traders  were  either  killed  or  wounded,  but  no 
'personal  damage  was  done  to  the  remaining  ten  men,  with  the  exception  of  a 
wound  in  the  thigh  received  by  one,  which  was  not  at  the  time  considered 
dangerous. 

During  the  siege,  the  Americans  were  in  great  danger  of  perishing  from 
thirst,  as  the  Indians  had  complete  command  of  all  the  water  within  reach. 
Starvation  was  not  so  much  to  be  dreaded ;  because,  in  cases  of  necessity, 
they  could  live  on  the  flesh  of  their  slain  animals,  some  of  which  lay  stretched 
close  around  them.  After  being  pent  up  for  thirty-six  hours  in  this  horrible 
jhole,  during  which  time  they  had  seldom  ventured  to  raise  their  heads  above 
ithe  surface  without  being  shot  at,  they  resolved  to  make  a  bold  sortie  in  the 
night,  as  any  death  was  preferable  to  the  fate  which  awaited  them  there.  As 
there  was  not  an  animal  left  that  was  at  all  in  a  condition  to  travel,  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  money  gave  permission  to  all  to  take  and  appropriate  to  t hem- 
elves  whatever  amount  each  man  could  safely  undertake  to  carry.  In  this 
vay  a  few  hundred  dollars  were  started  with,  of  which,  however,  but  little 
ever  reached  the  United  States.  The  remainder  was  buried  deep  in  the  sand, 
n  hopes  that  it  might  escape  the  cupidity  of  the  savages ;  but  to  very  little 
)urpose,  for  they  were  afterward  seen  by  some  Mexican  traders  making  a 
great  display  of  specie,  which  was  without  doubt,  taken  from  this  unfortu- 
late  cache. 

With  every  prospect  of  being  discovered,  overtaken,  and  butchered,  but  re- 

olved  to  sell  their  lives  as  de-arly  as  possible,  they  at  last  emerged  from  their 

liding-place,  and  moved  on  silently  and  slowly  until  they  found  themselves; 

)eyond  the  purlieus  of  the  Indian  camps.     Often  did  they  look  back  in  the 

direction  where  from  three  to  five  hundred  savages  were  supposed  to  watch 

heir  movements,  but,  much  to  their  astonishment,  no  one  appeared  to  be  in> 

pursuit.     The  Indians  believing,  no  doubt,  that  the  property  of  the  traders 

(would  come  into  their  hands,  and  having  no  amateur  predilection  for  taking; 

scalps  at  the  risk  of  losing  their  own,  appeared  willing  enough  to  let  the  spo- 

iliated  adventurers  depart  without  further  molestation. 

The  destitute  travelers  having  run  themselves  short  of  provisions,  and  being; 
|no  longer  able  to  kill  game  for  want  of  materials  to  load  their  rifles  with,, 
jthey  were  very  soon  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  sustaining  life  upon  roots,. 
and  the  tender  bark  of  trees.  After  traveling  for  several  days  in  this  desper- 
late  condition,  with  lacerated  feet,  and  utter  prostration  of  mind  and  body,.. 
they  began  to  disagree  among  themselves  about  the  route  to  be  pursued,  and 
e\entually  separated  into  two  distinct  parties.  Five  of  these  unhappy  men 
^steered  a  westward  course,  and  after  a  succession  of  sufferings  and  privations^ 
which  almost  surpassed  belief,  they  reached  the  settlements  of  the  Creek 
! Indians,  near  the  Arkansas  River,  where  they  were  treated  with  great  kind- 
jness  and  hospitality.  The  other  five  wandered  about  in  the  greatest  state  of 
distress  and  bewilderment,  and  only  two  finally  succeeded  in  getting  out  of 
the  mazes  of  the  wilderness.  Among  those  who  were  abandoned  to  their 
fate,  and  left  to  perish  thus  miserably,  was  a  Mr.  Schenck,  the  same  indivi- 
jdual  who  had  been  shot  in  the  thigh ;  a  gentleman  of  talent  and  excellent. 
| family  connections,  from  Ohio. 

So  repeated  and  daring  were  the  outrages  committed  upon  the  traders,  that, 
they  were  obliged  to  petition  government  for  large  escorts  of  United  State* 
39 


312  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

troops,  which  were  granted.  The  Indians  appeared  resolved,  if  possible,  to  check 
all  intercourse  of  the  whites  upon  the  prairies,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  pre- 
sence of  the  troops,  would  have  succeeded  in  their  object. 

The  arrival  of  a  caravan  at  Santa  Fe,  which  was  usually  ten  weeks  on  the 
route,  produced  considerable  bustle  and  excitement  among  the  natives,  and  at 
once  changed  the  aspect  of  the  place.  Men  and  boys  flocked  around  to  see 
the  new  comers,  while  crowds  of  leperos  hung  about  watching  opportunities 
to  pilfer.  The  wagons  were  discharged  at  the  custom-house,  the  duties  paid 
upon  the  goods,  generally  averaging  about  one  hundred  per  cent,  on  the  home 
cost.  In  a  few  clays,  the  goods  were  discharged,  and  then,  instead  of  the  idle- 
ness and  stagnation  which  the  streets  of  Santa  Fe  usually  exhibited,  there 
were  all  the  bustle,  noise,  and  activity  of  a  market  town,  crowded  by  numer 
ous  country  dealers,  who  resorted  to  the  capital  on  these  occasions. 

The  outward  journeys  of  the  caravans,  were  usually  made  in  the  spring 
and  early  part  of  summer, — the  return  trips  in  the  autumn.  Eventually,  half 
the  entire  imports  by  the  Missouri  caravans,  were  sent  to  Chihuahua  (pro- 
nounced She-waw-waw),  from  Santa  Fe.  The  Santa  Fe  trade  continued  to 
increase  until  the  year  1843,  when  the  amount  of  merchandise  thus  trans- 
ported, amounted  to  $450,000,  which  was  conveyed  by  two  hundred  and 
thirty  wagons.  While  the  trade  increased,  the  prices  decreased,  and  taking 
assortments  round  one  hundred  per  cent,  on  the  home  cost,  was  generally 
considered  excellent  sales. 

In  1843  the  Santa  Fe  trade  was,  for  a  time,  closed  by  Santa  Anna,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  attacks  of  the  Texans  upon  the  caravans.  Keeping  beyond 
the  territory  of  the  United  States,  the  right  of  the  Texans  to  harass  the  com- 
merce of  the  Mexicans,  will  hardly  be  denied,  as  they  were  at  open  war,  yet 
;they  were  aware  that  but  a  small  part  of  the  traders  were  Mexicans,  and  this 
should  have  had  a  restraining  influence  upon  them. 


THE  BLACK  HAWK  WAR. 

IN  the  year  1804,  Gen.  Harrison  made  a  treaty  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes — 
rtwo  tribes  united  as  one — by  which,  they  ceded  the  lands  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, to  the  United  States;  but  to  these  lands  they  had  no  original  right, 
even  in  the  Indian  sense,. as  they  were  intruders  on  the  country  of  the  San- 
iteaurs  and  lowas.  By  this  treaty,  they  were  permitted  to  reside  and  hunt 
qpon  these  lands,  until  sold  for  settlement  by  government. 

This  treaty  was  re-confirmed  by  the  Indians,  in  the  years  1815  and  1816. 

Black  Hawk,  who  was  never  a  chief,  but  merely  an  Indian  brave,  collected 

a  few  disaffected  spirits,  and  refusing  to  attend  the  negotiations  of  1816,  went 

tto  Canada;  proclaimed  himself  and  party  British,  and  received  presents  from 

ithem. 

The  treaty  of  1804,  was  again  ratified  in  1822,  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  in 
•"full  council,"  at  Fort  Armstrong,  Rock  Island,  on  the  Mississippi.  In 
1825,  another  treaty  was  held  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  with  the  Indians,  by 
William  Clarke  and  Lewis  Cass,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  about  a  peace 
.between  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  the  Chippeways  and  the  lowas  on  the  one 
ihand,  and  the  Sioux  or  Dacotahs  on  the  other.  Hostilities  continuing,  the 
United  States,  in  1827,  interfered  between  the  contending  tribes.  This  offended 
the  Indians,  who  thereupon  murdered  two  whites  in  the  vicinity  of  Prairie 
•du  Chien,  and  attacked  two  boats  on  the  Mississippi,  conveying  supplies  to 
JFort  Snelling,  and  killed  and  wounded  several  of  the  crews.  Upon  this,  Gen. 
Atkinson  marched  into  the  Winnebago  country,  and  made  prisoners  of  Red 


FRONTIER   LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  113 

Bird  and  six  others,  who  were  imprisoned  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  A  part  of 
those  arrested,  were  convicted  on  trial,  and  in  December  of  the  following 
year  (1828),  executed.  Among  those  discharged  for  want  of  proof,  was  Black 
Hawk,  then  about  sixty  years  of  age. 

About  this  time,  the  President  issued  a  proclamation,  according  to  law, 
and  the  country,  about  the  mouth  of  Rock  River,  which  had  been  previously 
surveyed,  was  sold,  and  the  year  following,  was  taken  possession  of  by  Ame- 
rican families.  Some  time  previous  to  this,  after  the  death  of  old  Quash- 
quame,  Keokuk  was  appointed  chief  of  the  Sac  nation.  The  United  States 
gave  due  notice  to  the  Indians  to  leave  the  country,  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  Keokuk  made  the  same  proclamation  to  the  Sacs,  and  a  portion  of  the 
nation,  with  their  regular  chiefs,  with  Keokuk  at  their  head,  peaceably  retired 
across  the  Mississippi.  Up  to  this  period,  Black  Hawk  continued  his  annual 
visits  to  Maiden,  and  received  his  annuity  for  allegiance  to  the  British  go- 
vernment. He  would  not  recognize  Keokuk  as  chief,  but  gathered  about  him 
all  the  restless  spirits  of  his  tribe,  many  of  whom  were  young,  and  h'red  with 
the  ambition  of  becoming  "braves,"  and  set  up  himself  for  a  chief. 

Black  Hawk  was  not  a  Pontiac,  or  a  Tecumseh.  He  had  neither  the  tal- 
ent or  the  influence  to  form  any  comprehensive  scheme  of  action,  yet  he  made 
an  abortive  attempt  to  unite  all  the  Indians  of  the  west,  from  Rock  River  to 
Mexico,  in  a  war  against  the  United  States. 

Still  another  treaty,  and  the  seventh  in  succession,  was  made  with  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes,  on  the  15th  of  July,  1830,  in  which  they  again  confirmed 
the  preceding  treaties,  and  promised  to  remove  from  Illinois  to  the  territory 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  This  was  no  new  cession,  but  a  recognition  of  the 
former  treaties  by  the  proper  authorities  of  the  nation,  and  a  renewed  pledge 
of  fidelity  to  the  United  States. 

During  all  this  time,  Black  Hawk  was  gaining  accessions  to  his  party. 
Like  Tecumseh,  he,  too,  had  his  Prophet — whose  influence  over  the  super- 
stitious savages,  was  not  without  effect. 

In  1830,  an  arrangement  was  made  by  the  Americans,  who  had  purchased 
the  land  above  the  mouth  of  Rock  River,  and  the  Indians  that  remained,  to 
live  as  neighbors,  the  latter  cultivating  their  old  fields.  Their  inclosures 
consisted  of  stakes  stuck  in  the  ground,  and  small  poles  tied  with  strips  of 
bark  transversely.  The  Indians  left  for  their  summer's  hunt,  and  returned 
when  their  corn  was  in  the  milk — gathered  it,  and  turned  their  horses  into 
the  fields,  cultivated  by  the  Americans,  to  gather  their  crop.  Some  depre- 
dations were  committed  on  their  hogs  and  other  property.  The  Indians  de- 
parted on  their  winter's  hunt,  but  returned  early  in  the  spring  of  1831,  under 
the  guidance  of  Black  Hawk,  and  committed  depredations  on  the  frontier 
settlements.  Their  leader  was  a  cunning,  shrewa  Indian,  and  trained  his 
party  to  commit  various  depredations  on  the  property  of  the  frontier  inhabit- 
ants, but  not  to  attack,  or  kill  any  person.  His  policy  was  to  provoke  the 
Americans  to  make  war  on  him,  and  thus  seem  to  fight  in  defense  of  Indian 
rights,  and  the  "graves  of  their  fathers."  Numerous  affidavits,  from  persons 
of  unquestionable  integrity  sworn  to  before  the  proper  officers,  were  made  out 
and  sent  to  Governor  Reynolds,  attesting  to  these  and  many  other  facts. 

Black  Hawk  had  about  five  hundred  Indians  in  training,  with  horses,  well 
provided  with  arms,  and  invaded  the  State  of  Illinois  with  hostile  designs. 
These  facts  were  known  to  the  Governor  and  other  officers  of  the  State. 
Consequently,  Governor  Reynolds,  on  the  28th  of  May,  1831,  made  a  call 
for  volunteers,  and  communicated  the  facts  to  General  Gaines  of  this  military 
district,  and  made  a  call  for  regular  troops.  The  State  was  invaded  by  a 
hostile  band  of  savages,  under  an  avowed  enemy  of  the  United  States.  The- 


314  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

military  turned  out  to  the  number  of  twelve  hundred  or  more,  on  horseback, 
and  under  command  of  the  late  General  Joseph  Duncan,  marched  to  Rock 
River. 

The  regular  troops  went  up  the  Mississippi  in  June.  Black  Hawk  and  his 
men,  alarmed  at  this  formidable  appearance,  recrossed  the  Mississippi,  sent  a 
white  flag,  and  made  a  treaty,  i.n  which  the  United  States  agreed  to  furnish 
them  a  large  amount  of  corn  and  other  necessaries,  if  they  would  observe  the 
treaty. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1832,  Black  Hawk,  regardless  of  the  admonition  of 
Gen.  Atkinson,  who  was  stationed  at  Fort  Armstrong,  on  Rock  Island,  re- 
crossed  the  Mississippi,  and  commenced  his  march  up  Rock  River.  The 
troops,  both  regular  and  militia,  were  mustered  and  marched  in  pursuit  of  the 
invaders.  On  the  14th  of  May,  a  party  of  two  hundred  and  seventy  volun- 
teers under  Major  Stillwell,  were  preparing  to  encamp  for  the  night  on  a 
small  stream,  in  what  is  now  the, eastern  part  of  Ogle  county,  about  twenty- 
five  miles  above  Dixon's  ferry,  when  a  party  of  five  Indians  were  discovered 
by  the  volunteers.  A  large  part  of  the  latter  elated  at  the  prospect  of  an  In- 
dian fight,  mounted  their  horses  without  orders,  and  gave  chase.  Three  of 
the  five  were  overtaken  and  captured;  the  remaining  two  escaped  into  the 
edge  of  a  forest,  where  about  forty  warriors,  under  Black  Hawk,  lay  con- 
cealed, and  rising  from  their  ambush,  with  a  terrific  war-whoop,  rushed  upon 
the  assailants.  This  struck  such  a  terror  into  the  detachment,  that  regardless 
of  the  orders  of  their  commander,  they  wheeled  about,  and  galloped  away 
with  the  utmost  speed;  nor  did  they  discontinue  their  inglorious  retreat,  until 
they  arrived  at  Dixon's  Ferry,  where  Gen.  Whiteside  was  encamped  with 
1000  mounted  men.  Eleven  whites  were  killed  on  this  occasion:  their  bodies 
were  shamefully  mutilated;  in  some  cases,  heads,  hands,  feet,  and  tongues 
were  cut  off,  and  in  others,  hearts  were  torn  out,  and  intestines  scattered 
about  on  the  prairies. 

The  affair  at  "Stillman's  run,"  alarmed  the  whole  country,  and  Gov. 
Reynolds  made  a  call  for  an  additional  force  of  3000  militia.  War  being 
now  commenced,  the  party  of  Black  Hawk  committed  several  murders.  Seventy 
of  his  warriors  on  the  21st  of  May,  attacked  the  Indian  Creek  settlement,  in 
La  Salle  county,  killed  fifteen  persons,  and  took  the  two  Misses  Hall  pri- 
soners. About  this  time,  a  Dunkard  preacher  was  massacred  on  the  road  to 
Chicago.  His  head  was  severed  from  his  body,  and  carried  off  as  a  trophy ; 
it  presented  a  singular  appearance,  the  beard  being  nearly  a  yard  in  length. 
On  the  22d  of  May,  a  party  of  spies  sent  by  Gen.  Atkinson  with  dispatches 
to  Fort  Armstrong,  were  attacked,  four  of  whom  were  killed,  and  scalped.  On 
the  6th  of  June,  a  small  settlement  at  the  mouth  of  Plum  River,  near  Galena, 
was  unsuccessfully  attacked,  the  people  having  resorted  to  a  block-house  for 
defense.  During  this  period,  several  skirmishes  took  place  between  small 
parties  of  the  whites  and  the  Indians,  in  which  Capt.  (now  Ex-Gov.)  Dodge, 
Cant.  Stephenson,  Capt.  Snyder,  and  Gen.  Semple  distinguished  themselves. 

The  3000  Illinois  militia,  who  had  been  ordered  out,  marched  to  Rock 
River,  where  they  were  joined  by  the  United  States  troops.  Six  hundred 
mounted  men  were  also  ordered  out,  while  Gen.  Scott,  with  nine  companies 
of  artillery,  was  hastening  from  Old  Point  Comfort  on  the  Virginia  shore,  to 
Chicago,  but  before  they  could  reach  the  scene  of  action,  the  war  was  over. 

On  the  24th  of  June,  Major  Demont  with  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  Illi- 
nois militia  advancing  toward  Galena  from  Rock  River,  was  attacked  near 
Buffalo  Grove,  by  two  hundred  Indians,  led  on  by  Black  Hawk.  The  battle 
was  severely  contested,  and  several  on  both  sides  were  killed.  Major  Demont, 
though  compelled  to  retreat,  was  complimented  for  his  bravery.  Repossess^ 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  315 

inn;  himself  of  a  block-house  he  had  left  the  same  morning,  he  was  unsuccess- 
fully besieged  by  the  Indians.  The  main  army  subsequently  moved  up  to 
Koshkenong  Lake,  an  expansion  of  Fox  River.  Being  almost  destitute  of 
provisions,  Gen.  Henry  was  sent  for  supplies  to  Fort  Winnebago,  at  the  port- 
age  between  Fox  and  Wisconsin  rivers,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  to- 
gether with  Dodge's  battalion.  Learning  that  Black  Hawk's  band  was  in 
that  vicinity,  he  pursued,  and  on  the  21st  of  July  overtook  them  a  littl*-  lx> 
fore  sunset.  They  were  secreted  in  a  low  ravine,  near  the  Wisconsin,  in  the* 
neighborhood  of  the  Blue  mounds.  They  made  a  sudden  and  unexpected 
attack  upon  the  second  battalion,  commanded  by  Major  Ewing.  That  officer 
formed  his  men,  and  sustained  the  attack  until  the  main  body  came  up,  under 
Gen.  Henry  and  Major  Dodge.  The  army  then  formed  into  a  hollow  square. 
A  spirited  but  unsuccessful  attack  was  made  by  the  Indians,  on  the  right  and 
left,  when  the  whole  line  was  ordered  to  charge.  The  order  was  promptly 
executed.  Amid  the  yells  of  the  Indians,  and  the  cries  from  the  whites, 
"Stillman  is  not  here,"  the  former  were  driven  from  the  field.  Night  coming 
on,  the  army  encamped.  The  loss  of  the  Americans,  was  one  killed,  and 
eight  wounded — sixty-two  of  the  enemy,  the  next  morning,  were  found  dead 
on  the  field. 

The  main  army,  under  Gen.  Atkinson,  having  joined  Henry,  the  whole 
crossed  the  Wisconsin  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  On  the  2d  of  August,  they 
came  up  with  Black  Hawk  on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  nearly  opposite 
the  mouth  of  the  Iowa.  The  Indians  were  attacked,  defeated,  and  dispersed, 
with  a  loss  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  killed  and  wounded,  and  thirty-nine 
women  and  children  taken  prisoners.  The  whites  lost  but  eighteen  men. 

The  steamboat  Warrior,  which  was  employed  in  bringing  supplies  for  the 
army,  arrived  on  the  river,  opposite  the  battle-ground,  in  the  afternoon  before 
the  day  of  the  action;  at  which  time  the  Indians  raised  a  white  flag.  As 
they  declined  coming  on  board,  the  captain  suspected  it  to  be  a  mere  decoy, 
and  accordingly  commenced  an  action  by  discharging  at  them  a  six  pounder, 
loaded  with  canister  shot,  followed  by  a  severe  discharge  of  musketry.  The 
Indians  returned  the  fire,  and  the  battle  continued  for  near  an  hour,  when 
their  wood  beginning  to  fail,  the  boat  drew  off.  The  Warrior  had  but  one 
man  wounded;  twenty-three  of  the  enemy  were  killed.  In  the  action  of  the 
next  day,  the  Warrior  participated. 

It  is  a  subject  of  regret  that  so  little  discrimination  was  made,  between  the 
slaughter  of  those  in  arms,  and  others.  Here,  women  and  children,  without 
design,  came  in  for  their  share.  Some  who  sought  refuge  in  the  Mississippi, 
and  attempted  to  buffet  its  waves,  were  here  shot  down  by  the  soldiers.  A 
Sac  woman,  by  the  name  of  Na-wa-se,  the  sister  of  a  distinguished  chief,  hav- 
ing been  in  the  hottest  of  the  fight,  succeeded,  at  length,  in  reaching  the  river. 
Wrapping  her  infant  in  her  blanket,  and  holding  it  between  her  teeth,  she 
plunged  into  the  water;  and  seizing  hold  of  the  tail  of  a  horse,  whose  rider 
was  swimming  to  the  opposite  shore,  was  carried  safely  across  the  stream. 
There  is,  however,  some  apology,  even  for  this  indiscriminate  slaughter. 
When  the  Americans  closed  upon  the  Indians,  the  latter  were  all  huddled  to- 
gether. The  high  grass  on  the  "bottoms"  prevented  discrimination,  and  the 
slaughter  fell  upon  all.  It  could  not,  under  such  circumstances,  be  confined 
to  the  warriors.  Many  women,  and  some  children,  were  thus  unintentionally 
slain.  A  young  squaw,  standing  in  the  grass  a  short  distance  from  the  Ame- 
rican lines,  holding  her  child,  a  little  girl  of  four  years  old,  in  her  arms,  was 
shot  down.  The  ball  having  struck  the  right  arm  of  the  child  above  its 
elbow,  and  shattered  the  bone,  passed  into  the  breast  of  its  mother,  and  killed 
her  on  the  spot;  she  fell  upon  her  child,  and  confined  it  to  the  ground.  When 


316  HISTORICAL   EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

the  battle  was  over,  and  the  Indians  were  driven  from  the  field,  Lieut. 
Anderson,  of  the  United  States  army,  hearing  its  cries,  repaired  to  the  spot; 
and  removing  the  dead  mother,  took  the  child  in  his  amis  for  surgical  aid. 
Its  arm  was  afterward  amputated ;  and  during  the  operation,  the  half-starved 
child  sat  quietly  eating  a  piece  of  hard  biscuit,  insensible,  apparently,  of  its 
condition.  It  afterward  recovered. 

This  battle  entirely  broke  the  power  of  Black  Hawk.  He  fled,  was  seized 
by  the  Winnebagos,  and  in  less  than  a  month  after  his  defeat,  was  delivered 
up  to  the  United  States  officers  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  On  this  occasion,  Black 
Hawk  made  a  speech,  an  extract  from  which,  follows : — 

My  warriors  fell  around  me  ;  it  began  to  look  dismal.  I  saw  my  evil  day  at  hand.  The  sun 
rose  clear  on  us  in  the  morning,  and  at  night  it  sunk  in  a  dark  cloud,  and  looked  like  a  ball  of  fire. 
This  was  the  last  sun  that  shone  on  Black  Hawk.  He  is  now  a  prisoner  to  the  white  man.  But 
he  can  stand  the  torture.  He  is  not  afraid  of  death.  He  is  no  coward.  Black  Hawk  is  an  Indian; 
he  has  done  nothing  of  which  an  Indian  need  to  be  ashamed.  He  has  fought  the  battles  of  his 
country  against  the  white  men,  who  came,  year  after  year,  to  cheat  them  and  take  away  their 
lands.  You  knpw  the  cause  of  our  making  war — it  is  known  to  all  white  men — they  ought  to  be 
ashamed  of  it.  The  white  men  despise  the  Indians,  and  drive  them  from  their  homes.  But  the  In- 
dians are  not  deceitful.  The  white  men  speak  bad  of  the  Indian,  and  look  at  him  spitefully.  But 
the  Indian  does  not  tell  lies;  Indians  do  not  steal.  Black  Hawk  is  satisfied.  He  will  go  to  the  world 
of  spirits  contented.  He  has  done  his  duty — his  Father  will  meet  him  and  reward  him. 

The  white  men  do  not  scalp  the  head,  but  they  do  worse — they  poison  the  heart:  it  is  not  pure 
with  them.  His  countrymen  will  not  be  scalped,  but  they  will,  in  a  few  years,  become  like  the 
white  men,  so  that  you  cannot  hurt  them;  and  there  must  be,  as  in  the  white  settlements,  nearly 
as  many  officers  as  men,  to  take  care  of  them  and  keep  them  in  order.  Farewell  to  my  nation  ! 
Farewell  to  Black  Hawk! 

The  United  States  troops  under  Gen.  Scott,  during  the  months  of  July  and 
August,  were  contending  with  a  worse  than  Indian  foe.  The  Asiatic  cho- 
lera, which  had  just  reached  the  country,  overtook  his  troops  at  Detroit.  At 
Fort  Gratiot,  two  hundred  and  eight  men,  alarmed  for  their  safety,  landed, 
under  Col.  Twiggs.  Among  these,  the  disease  made  such  awful  ravages, 
that  only  a  few  escaped.  Some  of  them  died  in  the  hospital,  some  in  the 
woods,  and  some  deserted  to  avoid  the  pestilence;  and  being  scattered  about 
the  country,  shunned  by  the  terrified  inhabitants,  and  repelled  from  their  cot- 
tage doors,  wandered  about  they  knew  not  whither,  and  laid  down  in  the 
fields  and  died,  without  a  friend  to  close  their  eyes,  or  to  console  the  last 
moments  of  their  existence.  The  residue  continued  on  their  course,  and 
most  of  them  arrived  safely  at  Mackinaw.  There  was,  at  that  time,  but  few 
sick  or  diseased  among  them.  The  cholera,  however,  soon  renewed  its  ra- 
vages, and  on  their  passage  from  Mackinaw  to  Chicago,  thirty  were  thrown 
overboard.  Gen.  Scott  reached  Chicago  on  the  8th  of  July,  1832.  On  his 
arrival,  Fort  Dearborn  was  converted  into  an  hospital.  During  the  first 
thirty  days  after  his  arrival,  ninety  of  his  detachment  paid  their  debts  to  na- 
ture, ana  were  "whelmed  in  pits,"  without  coffins — "without  notice,  and 
without  remembrance."  The  scene  of  horror  occasioned  by  this  singular 
disease,  no  pen  can  describe,  no  heart  conceive,  and  no  tongue  can  ade- 
quately tell. 

In  September,  the  difficulties  wity  the  Indians  were  settled  by  a  treaty,  in 
which  they  ceded  to  the  United  States  thirty  millions  of  acres.  Black  Hawk 
and  his  family  were  sent  as  hostages  to  Fort  Monroe,  on  the  Chesapeake, 
where  they  remained  until  June,  1833.  He  soon  after  returned  to  his  people, 
and  dying  a  few  years  subsequent,  vas  buried  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi. 
He  possessed  the  common  savage  virtue  of  bravery  ;  but  in  intellectual  quali 
ties,  was  not  to  be  compared  with  Pontiac  or  Tecumseh. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  317 


tHE  PESTILENCE -A  FRONTIER  SKETCH. 

THE  pioneer  is  the  "forlorn  hope  "  of  civilization.  He  marches  into  the 
wilderness,  and  encounters  peril,  hardship  and  suffering  in  a  thousand  different 
forms,  and  thus  prepares  the  way  smooth  for  those  who  follow. 

The  settlers  of  most  new  countries,  are  afflicted  with  bilious  and  intermit- 
tent fevers,  which  prevail  far  more  extensively  at  some  seasons  than  at  others. 
The  summer  and  fall  of  1838 — the  year  of  the  great  eclipse  of  the  sun — 
was  a  period  of  unusual  sickness  in  the  West,  particularly  in  Illinois.  A 
sketch  of  the  scenes  which  there  fell  under  the  observation  of  the  writer,  is 
annexed  below.  It  most  vividly  describes  a  kind  of  experience  that  belongs 
to  the  history  of  the  country. 

The  close  of  this  summer  found  our  home  a  melancholy  one.  Days  of 
agony,  and  nights  of  delicious  visions  that  made  the  morning  sorrowful,  wore 
slowly  away.  Abroad  the  gloom  still  deepened.  The  sickness  which  had 
begun  early  to  prevail  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  increased  in  strength 
and  malignancy.  The  longer  the  drought  held,  the  more  fatal  grew  its  rav- 
ages, and  the  more  cheerless  the  aspect  of  the  whole  land.  Vegetation  was 
parched  to  ashes.  The  dews  no  longer  fell ;  the  thirsty  earth  gaped  under 
the  merciless  sun,  and  the  trodden  roads  were  piled  with  dust,  so  that  every 
breath  of  wind  which  swept  across  them,  and  every  vehicle  that  passed  along, 
raised  a  blinding  cloud.  The  skies  seemed  to  have  shut  their  chamber  of 
mercy,  and  to  have  no  relenting  toward  the  blighted  earth.  For  long,  long 
weeks,  the  heavens  were  watched  for  a  cloud,  or  some  sign  of  mercy,  but  in 
vain.  A  hard  metallic  glare  pervaded  the  whole  arch,  an  impassable  barriei 
to  the  blessings  we  so  much  craved.  Meantime,  pain,  disease  and  death, 
were  stalking  abroad.  The  pestilence  claimed  its  victims  in  almost  every 
house.  In  some,  the  whole  family  was  prostrated,  and  the  sufferers  were  de- 
pendent on  the  kindness  of  their  distant  neighbors  to  minister  to  their  wants. 

The  fevers  took  their  most  malignant  and  fatal  character  in  the  "  cotton 
lands."  There  gigantic  trees  shoot  up  on  the  rich  earth  made  by  the  spring 
floods,  and  weave  their  heavy  branches  above,  into  a  dense  canopy  which  the 
sun  can  scarcely  penetrate.  On  the  black  soil,  below  which  is  often  ten, 
twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in  depth,  and  of  the  finest  loam,  vegetation  riots  in  un- 
bounded energy.  Immense  quantities  are  produced,  the  decay  of  which,  with 
the  heavy  foliage  of  the  trees,  generates  vast  volumes  of  miasmata.  The 
high  bluffs  then  which  border  these  teeming  lands,  together  with  the  dense 
wood  that  covers  them,  prevent  the  circulation  of  the  purer  air  from  the  up- 
lands, and  leave'  all  the  causes  of  disease  to  take  their  most  concentrated  forms 
among  the  unfortunate  settlers.  Here,  therefore,  at  this  fated  period,  the  pes- 
tilence found  its  readiest  and  most  numerous  victims.  In  riding  through  these 
regions,  one  would  frequently  find  houses  in  which  every  member  of  the 
family  was  sick ;  so  that  it  was  a  blessing  for  a  stranger  to  call  and  hand 
them  a  cup  of  water.  In  these  districts,  individuals  were  found  lying  in  all 
stages  of  disease.  Some  had  never  been  seen  by  a  physician,  and  the  few 
that  recovered  wore  a  ghastly  sallow  hue  that  was  frightful  to  behold,  as  they 
crept  about  their  death-stricken  homes. 

One  could  ride  miles  through  these  dark  woods,  the  steady  sun,  when  it 
poured  through  the  leaves,  heating  the  still  air  almost  to  suffocation,  and  pass 
on  his  route  many  cabins  apparently  deserted ;  but  on  entering,  he  would  find 
two  or  three,  or  perhaps  a  greater  number  of  persons,  lying  in  the  same  dark 


318  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

room,  tossing  and  raging  in  the  various  stages  of  consuming  fever.  It  was 
frightful  to  hear  of — still  more  so  to  witness  their  condition. 

But  suffering  and  mortality  were  not  confined  to  these  gloomy  districts. 
They  spread  throughout  the  entire  country.  Our  little  village  was  one  of  the 
last  spots  visited.  On  the  18th  of  September,  the  day  of  the  great  eclipse, 
two  infants,  twin  daughters  of  our  village  teacher,  were  buried.  I  remember 
well  the  gloom  of  that  afternoon.  It  was  easy  to  conceive  how,  in  periods 
of  affliction  and  calamity,  the  benighted  nations  that  had  lived  here  before 
us,  should  construe  such  an  impressive  phenomenon  into  an  expression  of  an- 
ger by  the  Great  Spirit.  The  prolonged  and  unnatural  darkness,  and  the 
alarm  which  prevails  among  the  lower  animals,  following  the  impression  al- 
ready produced  upon  the  mind,  might  well  be  considered  as  evidence  of  dis- 
pleasure in  the  Power  that  rules  the  element. 

We  trusted  that  some  change  would  be  wrought  in  the  atmosphere  by  this 
great  event,  that  would  break  the  dreadful  monotony  of  drought.  There  were 
but  three  or  four  wells  in  the  village  that  afforded  any  water,  and  the  earth 
seemed  actually  consuming  under  the  fiery  orb,  now  for  a  brief  space  hidden 
from  our  weary  eyes.  Not  a  drop  of  rain  had  fallen  for  near  seven  weeks, 
and  for  a  previous  period  of  nearly  twice  that  length,  the  few  showers  that 
had  descended  were  barely  sufficient  to  saturate  the  dust.  But  our  hopes  were 
vain.  The  shadow  passed  from  the  sun,  and  he  rode  out,  glaring  and  bright 
as  ever,  into  the  relentless  heavens.  Gloom  and  despair  brooded  over  every- 
thing. Nature  seemed  about  to  light  her  own  funeral  pile.  People  walked 
slowly  about,  with  countenances  darkened  by  their  own  griefs,  or  saddened 
with  sympathy  for  their  neighbors. 


THE  EDUCATED  INDIAN  TRAPPER. 

PROVIDENCE  seems  to  have  made  some  races  of  mankind  for  a  mere  tem- 
porary object.  They  appear  upon  earth,  fulfill  their  allotted  part,  and  thjgn 
disappear  forever  from  the  stage  of  human  action,  oftentimes  leaving  no  traces, 
save  the  bare  fact  of  their  having  once  existed.  Such  seems  to  be  the  des- 
tiny of  the  aborigines  of  our  country :  their  course  is  nearly  run ;  and  in  a 
few  more  generations,  they  will  exist  alone  in  the  annals  of  the  past !  At- 
tempts to  civilize  them,  generally  meet  with  signal  failure.  There  is  some- 
thing inherent  in  their  nature  that'  forbids  it. 

A  gentleman  who  was  traveling  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
some  few  years  since,  has  given  an  interesting  sketch  of  an  Indian  whom  he 
met  near  the  head-waters  of  the  Arkansas,  who  had  been  educated  among  the 
whites ;  but,  true  to  his  natural  instincts,  he  had  forsaken  civilized  life,  and 
taking  to  the  prairies  and  mountains  of  the  Far  West,  had  become  once  more 
a  free  man  of  the  forests.  His  sketch  we  annex : 

One  of  these  trappers  whom  I  met  at  Bent's  Fort,  was  from  New  Hamp- 
shire. He  had  been  educated  at  Dartmouth  College,  and  was  altogether  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  men  I  ever  knew.  A  splendid  gentleman,  a  finished 
scholar,  a  critic  on  English  and  Roman  literature,  a  politician,  a  trapper,  and 
an  Indian  !  His  stature  was  something  more  than  six  feet ;  his  snoulders 
and  chest  were  broad,  and  his  arms  and  lower  limbs  well  formed,  and  very 
muscular.  His  head  was  clothed  with  hair  as  black  as  jet,  near  a  yard  in 
length,  smoothly  combed  and  hanging  down  his  back.  He  was  dressed  in  a 
deer-skin  frock,  leggins  and  moccasins;  not  a  thread  of  cloth  about  his 
person. 

Having  ascertained  that  he  was  proud  of  his  learning,  I  approached  him 


FRONTIER  LUTE-NATURAL  CURIOSITIES^  ETC.  319 

through  that  medium.  He  seemed  pleased  at  this  compliment  of  his  supe- 
riority to  those  around  him,  and  at  once  became  easy  and  talkative.  His 
"  Alma  mater "  was  described,  and  re-described.  All  the  fields  and  walks, 
and  rivulets,  the  beautiful  Connecticut,  the  evergreen  primitive  hedges  lying 
along  its  banks,  which,  he  said,  "  had  smiled  for  a  thousand  ages  on  the 
march  of  decay,"  were  successive  themes  of  his  gigantic  imagination.  His 
descriptions  were  minute  and  exquisite.  He  saw  in  everything,  all  that 
Science  sees,  together  with  all  that  his  capacious  intellect,  instructed  and  im- 
bued with  the  wild  fancyings  and  legends  of  his  race,  could  see.  I  inquired 
the  reason  of  his  leaving  civilized  life  for  a  precarious  livelihood  in  the  wil- 
derness. "  For  reasons  founded  in  the  nature  of  my  race,"  he  replied. 
"The  Indian's  eye  cannot  be  satisfied  with  a  description  of  things,  howsoever 
beautiful  may  be  the  style,  or  the  harmonies  of  verse  in  which  it  is  conveyed. 
For  neither  the  periods  of  burning  eloquence,  nor  the  mighty  and  beautiful 
creations  of  the  imagination,  can  unbosom  the  treasures  and  realities  as  they 
live  in  their  own  native  magnificence  on  the  eternal  mountains,  and  in  the  se- 
cret untrodden  vale. 

"  As  soon  as  you  thrust  .the  plow-share  under  the  earth,  it  teems  with 
worms  and  useless  weeds.  It  increases  population  to  an  unnatural  extent — 
creates  the  necessity  of  penal  enactments — builds  the  jail — erects  the  gallo.ws 
— spreads  over  the  human  face  a  mask  of  deception  and  selfishness — and  sub- 
stitutes villany,  love  of  wealth  and  power,  and  the  slaughter  of  millions  for 
the  gratification  of  some  royal  cut-throat,  in  the  place  of  the  single  minded 
honesty,  the  hospitality,  the  honor,  and  the  purity  of  the  natural  state. 
Hence,  whenever  agriculture  appears,  the  increase  of  moral  and  physical  evil 
induces  the  thousand  of  necessities,  as  they  are  termed,  for  abridging  human 
liberty ;  for  fettering  down  the  mind  to  the  principles  of  right,  derived  not 
from  nature,  but  from  a  restrained  and  forced  condition  of  existence.  And 
hence,  my  race,  with  mental  and  physical  habits  as  free  as  the  waters  that 
flow  from  the  hills,  become  restive  under  the  rules  of  civilized  life  ;  dwindle 
to  their  graves  under  the  control  of  laws  and  customs,  and  forms,  which  have 
grown  out  of  the  endless  vices,  and  the  factitious  virtues  of  another  race. 

"  Red  men  often  acquire  and  love  the  sciences ;  but  with  the  nature  the 
Great  Spirit  has  given  them,  what  are  all  their  truths  to  them?  Would  an 
Indian  ever  measure  the  height  of  a  mountain  that  he  could  climb?  No, 
never !  The  legends  of  his  tribe  tell  him  nothing  about  quadrants  and  base- 
lines,  and  angles.  Their  old  braves,  however,  have,  for  ageo,  watched  from 
the  cliffs  the  green  life  in  the  spring,  and  the  yellow  df  nfh  in  the  autumn  of 
their  holy  forests.  Why  should  he  ever  calculate  an  eclipse  ?  He  always 
knew  such  occurrences  to  be  the  doings  of  the  Great  Spirit.  Science,  it  is 
true,  can  tell  the  times  and  seasons  of  their  coming ;  but  the  Indian,  when 
they  do  occur,  looks  through  Nature  without  the  aid  of  Science,  up  to  its  cause. 
Of  what  use  is  a  Lunar  to  him  ?  His  swift  canoe  has  the  green  embowered 
shores,  and  well  known  head-lands  to  guide  his  course.  In  fine,  what  are  the 
arts  of  Peace,  of  War,  of  Agriculture,  or  anything  civilized,  to  him  ?  His 
nature  and  its  elements,  like  the  pine  which  shadows  his  wigwam,  are  too 
mighty,  too  grand,  of  too  strong  a  fiber,  to  form  a  stock  on  which  to  ingraft 
the  rose  or  the  violet  of  polished  life.  No  !  I  must  range  the  hills  ;  I  must 
always  be  able  to  out-travel  my  horse ;  I  must  always  be  able  to  strip  my  own 
wardrobe  from  the  backs  of  the  deer  and  buffalo,  and  to  feed  upon  their  rich 
loins;  I  must  always  be  able  to  punish  my  enemy  with  my  own  hand,  or 
I  am  no  longer  an  Indian.  And  if  I  am  anything  else,  I  am  a  mere  imita- 
tion, an  ape." 

The  enthusiasm  with  which  these  sentiments  were  uttered,  impressed  me 
40 


320  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

with  an  awe  I  had  never  previously  felt  for  the  unborrowed  dignity  and  inde- 
pendence of  the  genuine  original  character  of  tile  American  Indians.  En- 
feebled and  reduced  to  a  state  of  dependence  by  disease,  and  the  crowding 
hosts  of  civilized  men,  we  find  among  them  still  too  much  of  their  own,  to 
adopt  the  character  of  any  other  race  ;  too  much  bravery  to  feel  like  a  con- 
quered people  ;  and  a  preference  of  annihilation  to  the  abandonment  of  that 
course  of  life,  consecrated  by  a  hundred  generations  of  venerated  ancestors. 
This  Indian  had  been  trapping  among  the  Rocky  Monntains  for  seventeen 
years.  During  that  time,  he  has  often  been  employed  as  an  express  to  carry 
news  from  one  trading-post  to  another,  and  from  the  mountains  of  Missouri. 
In  these  journeys  he  has  been  remarkable  for  the  directness  of  his  courses, 
and  the  exceeding  short  spaces  of  time  required  to  accomplish  them.  Moun- 
tains that  neither  Indian  nor  white  man  dared  attempt  to  scale,  he  has  crossed. 
Angry  streams,  heavy  and  cold  from  the  snows,  and  plunging,  and  roaring 
among  the  girded  caverns  of  the  hills,  he  has  swam.  He  has  met  the  tem- 
pest as  it  groaned  over  the  plains,  and  hung  upon  the  trembling  towers  of  the 
everlasting  hills;  and  without  a  horse,  or  even  a  dog,  traversed  often,  the  ter- 
rible and  boundless  wastes  of  mountains  and  plains,  and  desert  valleys ;  and  the 
ruder  the  blast,  the  larger  the  bolts,  and  louder  the  peals  of  the  dreadful  tem- 
pest, when  the  earth  and  sky  seemed  joined  by  a  moving  cataract  of  flood  and 
flame  driven  by  the  wind,  the  more  was  it  like  himself,  a  free,  unmarred 
manifestation  of  the  sublime  energies  of  Nature.  He  said  that  he  never  again 
intended  to  visit  the  States,  or  any  other  part  of  the  earth,  "  which  has  been 
torn  and  spoiled  by  the  slaves  of  Agriculture."  "  I  shall  live,"  said  he, 
"  and  die  in  the  wilderness."  And  assuredly  he  should  thus  live  and  die. 
The  music  of  the  rushing  waters  should  be  his  requiem,  and  the  Great  Wil- 
derness his  tomb ! 


LIFE  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS  OF  VIRGINIA. 

THIS  description — written  some  time  since  by  the  compiler  of  this  volume 
for  another  publication — in  general,  will  apply  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  range 
of  mountains  which  occupy  the  western  parts  of  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas, 
and  the  eastern  portions  ot  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  and  of  north  Georgia :  as 
they  are  all  essentially  the  same  people  in  origin,  modes  of  life,  and  in  their 
isolation  from  the  rest  of  the  country.  While  they,  in  many  respects,  resem- 
ble the  settlers  on  the  frontiers  of  the  Far  West,  in  others  they  are  dissimilar; 
the  progress  of  the  country  being  slower,  their  isolation  greater,  and  the  spirit 
of  enterprise  less. 

Those  who  have  been  bred  in,  and  have  not  traveled  out  of  the  old  and 
long-settled  portions  of  our  Union,  can  have  but  inaccurate  ideas  of  the  modes 
of  life  in  its  new  and  sparsely-inhabited  regions.  And,  perchance,  when  they 
do  gain  experience  of  this  nature,  they  find  much  to  amuse  and  instruct,  not 
in  ascertaining  "  how  the  other  '  alf  of  the  world  live,"  but  in  observing  how 
others,  dwelling  under  the  same  institutions,  protected  by  the  same  laws,  and 
with  the  same  star-dotted  flag  waving  above,  march  onward  along  the  high- 
way of  life. 

In  the  inhabitants  of  none  will  there  be  found  a  greater  diversity,  than  be- 
tween those  of  the  north  and  east,  and  those  of  the  more  secluded  mountain 
counties  of  Virginia.  A  great  part  of  western  Virginia  is  yet  a  new  coun- 
try, and  so  thinly  settled  that  the  population  of  a  whole  county  frequently 
does  not  equal  that  of  a  single  agricultural  township  of  the  former.  Remote 
and  inaccessible  as  they  are,  the  manners  and  habits  of  the  population  are 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  321 

quite  primitive.  So  far  are  they  from  market,  that  the  people,  in  many  dis- 
tricts, can  sell  only  what  will,  as  they  say,  "  walk  away  ;"  that  is,  cattle, 
horses,  swine,  etc.  Consequently,  there  is  but  little  inducement  to  raise  more 
than  sufficient  grain  for  home  consumption,  and  next  to  none  for  enterprise  on 
the  part  of  the  agriculturist.  For  foreign  luxuries,  as  sugar,  tea,  coffee,  etc., 
the  mountaineer  is  obliged  to  pay  an  enormous  advance  in  the  heavy  cost  of 
transportation ;  but,  graduating  his  desires  to  his  means,  he  leads  a  simple, 
yet  manly  life,  and  breathes  the  pure  air  of  the  mountains  with  the  contented 
spirit  of  a  freeman. 

Thus  the  inhabitant  of  these  elevated  regions  is  almost  perfectly  indepen- 
dent. The  cares,  the  fruits  of  a  more  luxurious  state,  the  turmoil  of  business, 
the  aims  of  fashion,  the  struggles  for  social  supremacy,  all  these  to  him,  are 
things  unknown.  He  has  heard  of  cities,  of  their  wonders  of  art,  of  their 
magnificent  temples  ;  but,  untraveled  as  he  is,  these  reports  fall  upon  his  ears 
almost  like  revelations  from  another  hemisphere. 

Here  many  a  young  man,  with  but  few  worldly  goods,  marries ;  and,  with 
an  ax  on  one  shoulder,  and  a  rifle  on  the  other,  goes  into  the  recesses  of  the 
mountains  where  land  is  of  'no  market  value.  In  a  few  days  he  has  a  log- 
house  and  a  small  clearing.  Visit  some  such  on  a  fine  day,  when  thirty  years 
have  rolled  past,  and  you  will  find  he  has  eight  or  ten  children — a  hardy, 
healthy  set — thirty  or  forty  acres  cleared,  mostly  cultivated  in  corn;  a  rude, 
square  log  bin,  built  in  cob-house  fashion,  and  filled  with  corn,  wall  stand  be- 
side  his  cabin ;  near,  a  similar  structure  contains  his  horse  ;  scattered  about 
are  half  a  dozen  hayricks,  and  an  immense  drove  of  swine  will  be  roaming 
in  the  adjacent  forest;  and  if  it  is  called  "mast-year" — that  is,  a  season 
when  the  woods  abound  in  nuts,  acorns,  etc. — these  animals,  swelling  with 
fatness,  will  display  evidence  of  good  living. 

Enter  the  dwelling.  The  woman  of  the  house,  and  all  her  children,  are 
attired  in  homespun.  Her  dress  is  large  and  convenient,  and  instead  of  being 
closed  by  hooks  and  eyes,  is  buttoned  together.  She  looks  strong  and 
healthy;  so  do  her  daughters;  and  rosy  and  blooming  as  "flowers  by  the 
wayside."  The  house  and  furniture  are  exceedingly  plain  and  simple,  and, 
with  the  exception  of  what  belongs  to  the  cupboard,  principally  manufactured 
in  the  neighborhood.  The  husband  is  absent  hunting.  At  certain  seasons, 
what  time  he  can  spare  from  his  little  farm,  he  passes  in  the  excitement  of  the 
chase,  and  sells  the  skins  of  his  game. 

Soon  he  enters  with  a  buck  or  a  bear  he  has  shot — for  he  is  a  skillful 
marksman — or,  perhaps,  some  other  game.  He  is  fifty  years  of  age,  yet  in 
his  prime — a  stout,  athletic  man,  robed  in  a  hunting-shirt  of  picturesque  form, 
made,  too,  of  homespun,  and  ornamented  with  variegated  fringe;  and  a  pair 
of  moccasins  are  on  his  feet.  He  receives  you  with  a  blunt,  honest  welcome, 
and  as  he  gives  you  his  hand  his  heart  goes  with  it;  for  he  looks  upon  you 
as  a  friend.  He  has  passed  his  life  in  the  mountains,  among  .a  simple-hearted 
people,  who  have  but  little  practical  knowledge  of  the  deceit  which  those 
living  in  luxurious,  densely-populated  communities,  among  the  competitory 
avocations  of  society,  are  tempted  to  practice.  His  wife  prepares  dinner.  A 
neat,  white  cloth  is  spread ;  and  soon  the  table  is  covered  with  good  things. 
On  it  is  a  plate  of  hot  corn-bpead,  preserves  of  various  kinds,  bacon,  venison, 
and  perhaps  bear's  meat.  Your  host  may  ask  a  blessing — thanks  to  the 
itinerating  system  of  the  Methodists,  which  has  even  reached  this  remote 
spot ! — his  wife  pours  you  out  a  dish  of  coffee — the  greatest  luxury  of  the 
country;  it  is  thickened  with  cream,  not  milk,  and  sweetened  with  sugar 
from  the  maple  grove  just  in  front  of  the  house.  The  host  bids  you  help 
yourself,  and  you  partake  with  a  relish  you  never  had  at  Astor's. 


322  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

Now  mount  your  nag  and  be  off!  As  you  descend  the  mountain  path, 
faintly  discerned  before  you,  and  breathe  the  pure,  fresh  air  of  the  hills,  cast 
your  eyes  upon  one  of  the  most  impressive  scenes ;  for  Nature  is  there  in  all 
her  glory.  Far  down  in  the  valley,  to  the  right,  winds  a  lovely  stream; 
there  hid  by  the  foliage  overarchi-'*  its  bright  waters;  anon  it  appears  in  a 
clearing;  again  concealed  by  a  sweep  of  the  mountain  you  are  descending; 
still  beyond  it  reappears,  diminished  to  a  silvery  thread.  To  the  right  and 
front  is  a  huge  mountain,  in  luxuriant  verdure,  at  places  curving  far  into  the 
plain,  and  at  those  points  and  at  the  summits  bathed  in  a  sea  of  light ;  at 
others,  receding,  thrown  into  dark,  sombre,  forbidding  shades.  Beyond  are 
mountains  piled  on  mountains,  like  an  uptossed  ocean  of  ridges;  these  melt, 
by  distance,  into  fainter  and  still  fainter  hues,  until  sky  and  mountain,  assuming 
the  same  delicate,  ethereal  tint  of  lightest  blue,  appear  to  meet  as  one,  far, 
far  away,  at  the  outer  line  of  the  visible  world. 

High  in  blue  ether  float  clouds  of  snowy  white;  and  in  majestic  flight  sails 
the  bird  of  the  mountain  with  an  air  wild  and  free  as  the  spirit  of  liberty. 
How  everything  is  rejoicing  all  around !  Innumerable  songsters  are  warb- 
ling sweetest  music;  those  wild  flowers,  with  scarce  the  morning  dew  from 
off  their  lips,  are  opening  their  bright  cheeks  to  the  sun;  and  even  the  tiny 
insects  flitting  through  the  air,  join  in  the  universal  halleluiah. 

Now,  fast  losing  the  scene,  you  are  entering  the  dark,  solemn  forest.  Soon 
you  are  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  when,  from  the  copse,  out  starts  a  deer ! 
The  graceful,  timid  creature,  pricks  up  her  ears,  distends  her  nostrils  in  fear, 
gathers  her  slender  limbs  for  a  spring,  pauses  for  a  moment,  and  then  suddenly 
bounds  away,  over  hillocks  and  through  ravines,  and  is  seen  no  more.  The 
stream,  broad  and  shallow,  is  wending  its  way  across  your  road  with  gentle 
murmurings.  Splash!  splash!  goes  your  horse's  feet  in  the  water;  forty 
times  in  ten  miles  does  it  cross  your  road,  and  in  various  places  for  hundreds 
of  yards  your  course  is  directly  through  it.  There  are  no  bridges  across  it, 

and  next  to  none  in  western  Virginia. 

******** 

The  above  picture  of  a  mountaineer,  with  the  sketch  of  the  wild  and  ro- 
mantic scenery  in  which  "he  moves,  lives,  and  has  his  being,"  is  a  common, 
Chough  not  a  universal  one. 

These  mountain  fastnesses  contain  much  latent  talent,  requiring  opportu- 
nity only  for  development ;  but  the  sparsely-settled  condition  of  the  country  pre- 
vents such  from  being  given.  Many  of  the  people  are  of  Scotch-Irish  descent, 
possessing  the  bravery  and  other  noble  traits  of  their  ancestry.  Almost  entirely 
isolated  from  the  world,  fashion  has  not  stereotyped  manners,  modes  of  thought, 
and  expression;  hence,  striking  originality  in  ideas  and  ingenuity  in  meta- 
phor, often  are  displayed.  Not  unfrequently,  in  the  presence  of  some  one  of 
these  unlettered  men,  have  I  been  humbled  in  view  of  an  intellect  naturally 
far  my  superior;  an  intellect  seizing  subjects  with  an  iron  grasp,  perceiving 
clearly,  comparing  accurately,  combining  strongly,  and  although  expressing 
uncouthly,  yet  with  a  power  that  many  a  one  who  has  passed  his  days  in 
academic  groves  could  not  equal.  Such  is  the  influence  of  mind,  that, 
whether  seen  in  the  elevated  or  lowly,  in  the  man  of  elegance  or  the  rude 

mountaineer,  we  instinctively  bow  in  deference. 

*  *  *"#  *  *  *  * 

Toward  the  close  of  an  autumnal  day,  in  the  year  1843,  while  traveling 
through  this  thinly-settled  region,  I  came  up  with  a  substantial-looking  far- 
mer, leaning  on  the  fence  by  the  roadside.  I  accompanied  him  to  his  house 
to  spend  the  night.  It  was  a  log  dwelling,  and  near  it  stood  another  log 
structure  about  twelve  feet  square — the  weaving  shop  of  the  family.  On  en- 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  323 

tering  the  dwelling,  I  foimd  a  numerous  family,  all  clothed  in  substantial 
garments  of  their  own  manufacture.  The  floor  was  unadorned  by  a  carpet, 
and  the  room  devoid  of  superfluous  furniture,  yet  all  that  necessity  required 
to  make  them  comfortable.  One  needs  but  little  experience  like  this  to  dis- 
cover how  few  are  our  real  wants — how  easily  most  luxuries  of  dress,  furni- 
ture, and  equipage  can  be  dispensed  with.  Soon  after  my  arrival  supper  was 
ready.  It  consisted  of  fowls,  bacon,  hoe-cake,  and  buckwheat  cakes.  Our 
beverage  was  milk,  and  coffee  thickened  with  cream  and  sweetened  by  maple 
sugar. 

Soon  as  it  grew  dark,  my  hostess  took  down  a  small  candle-mold  for  three 
candles,  hanging  from  a  wall  on  a  frame-work  just  in  front  of  the  fireplace,  in 
company  with  a  rifle,  long  strings  of  dried  pumpkins,  and  other  articles  of 
household  property.  On  retiring  I  was  conducted  to  the  room  overhead,  to 
which  I  ascended  by  stairs  out  of  doors.  My  bed-fellow  was  the  county 
sheriff,  a  young  man  about  my  own  age ;  and  as  we  lay  together,  a  fine  field 
was  had  for  astronomical  observations  through  the  chinks  of  the  logs.  The 
next  morning  after  rising,  I  was  looking  for  the  washing  apparatus,  when  he 
tapped  me  on  the  shoulder  as  a  signal  to  accompany  him  to  the  brook  in  the 
rear  of  the  house,  in  whose  pure  crystal  waters  we  performed  our  morning 
ablutions. 

After  breakfast,  through  the  persuasion  of  the  sheriff,  who  appeared  to  have 
taken  a  sort  of  fancy  to  me,  I  agreed  to  go  across  the  country  by  his  house. 
He  was  on  horseback ;  I  on  foot,  bearing  my  knapsack.  For  six  miles  our 
route  lay  through  a  pathless  forest,  on  emerging  from  which,  we  soon  passed 
through  "the  Court-House,"  the  only  village  in  the  county,  consisting  of 
about  a  dozen  log-houses  and  the  court  building.  A  mile  further,  my  com- 
panion pointed  to  "the  old  field  schoolhouse"  in  which  he  was  initiated  into 
the  mysteries  of  reading  and  writing.  Soon  after  we  came  to  a  Methodist 
encampment.  The  roads  here  being  too  rude  to  transport  tents,  log  structures 
are  built,  which  stand  from  year  to  year,  affording  much  better  shelter.  This 
encampment  was  formed  of  three  continuous  lines,  each  occupying  a  side  of  a 
square,  and  about  one  hundred  feet  in  length.  Each  row  was  divided  into 
six  or  ten  cabins,  with  partitions  between.  The  height  of  the  rows  on  the 
inner  side  of  the  inclosed  area  was  about  ten  feet;  on  the  outer  about  six,  to 
which  the  roofs  sloped  shed-like.  The  door  of  each  cabin  opened  on  the 
inner  side  of  the  area,  and  at  the  back  of  each  was  a  log  chimney  coming  up 
even  with  the  roof.  At  the  upper  extremity  of  the  inclosure,  formed  by 
these  three  lines  of  cabins,  was  an  open  shed,  a  mere  roof  supported  by  posts, 
say  thirty  by  fifty  feet,  in  which  was  a  coarse  pulpit  and  log  seats.  A  few 
tall  trees  were  standing  within  the  area,  and  many  stumps  scattered  here  and 
there.  The  whole  establishment  was  in  the  depth  of  a  forest,  and  wild  and 
rude  as  can  well  be  imagined. 

Religious  pride  would  demand  a  more  magnificent  temple,  where  the  im- 
posing column  and  the  showy  architrave  would  betoken  the  power  of  man, 
and  the  lofty,  vaulted  roof  gather  and  roll  back  the  sound  of  anthems.  But 
where  coulu  the  humble  and  the  devout  more  appropriately  worship,  than 
here  under  the  blue  arch  of  heaven,  surrounded  by  the  darkling  wood,  where 
the  flitting  shadow  and  the  falling  leaf  were  constantly  reminding  one  of  the 
instability  of  all  earthly  things? 

How  full  is  nature  of  such  monitions !  How  solemn  these  words  of  the- 
Psalmist:  "As  for  man,  his  days  are  as  grass:  as  a  flower  of  the  field,  so  he 
flourisheth.  For  the  wind  passeth  over  it,  and  it  is  gone;  and  the  place 
thereof,  shall  know  it  no  more !" 

In  many  of  these  sparsely-inhabited  counties  are  no  settled  clergy,  and 


324  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

rarely  do  the  people  hear  any  other  than  the  Methodist  preachers.  Here  is 
the  itinerating  system  of  Wesley  exhibited  in  its  full  usefulness.  The  cir- 
cuits are  usually  of  three  weeks'  duration,  in  which  the  clergymen  preach 
daily;  so  it  but  rarely  happens,  in  some  neighborhoods,  when  they  have  di- 
vine worship,  that  it  is  on  the  Sabbath.  Most  of  those  preachers  are  ener- 
getic, devoted  men,  and  often  endure  great  privations. 

After  sketching  the  encampment,  I  came  in  a  few  moments  to  the  dwelling 
of  the  sheriff.  Close  by  it  were  a  group  of  mountain  men  and  women  seated 
around  a  log  bin,  about  twelve  feet  square,  ten  high,  and  open  at  the  top, 
into  which  these  neighbors  of  my  companion  were  casting  ears  of  corn  as 
fast  as  they  could  shuck  them.  Cheerfully  they  performed  their  task.  The 
men  were  large  and  hardy,  the  damsels  plump  and  rosy,  and  all  dressed 
in  good  warm  homespun.  The  sheriff  informed  me  that  he  owned  about 
two  thousand  acres  around  his  dwelling,  and  that  it  was  worth  about  one 
thousand  dollars,  or  fifty  cents  an  acre.  I  entered  his  log  domicile,  which 
was  one  story  in  height,  about  twenty  feet  square,  and  divided  into  two 
small  rooms,  without  windows  or  places  to  let  in  light,  except  by  a  front  and  a 
rear  door. 

I  soon  partook  of  a  meal  in  which  we  had  a  variety  of  luxuries,  not  omit- 
ting bear's  meat.  A  blessing  was  asked  at  the  table  by  one  of  the  neighbors. 
After  supper  the  bottle,  as  usuaL  at  corn-huskings,  was  circulated.  The 
sheriff  learning  I  was  a  Washingtonian,  with  the  politeness  of  one  of  nature's 
gentlemen,  refrained  from  urging  me  to  participate.  The  men  drank  but 
moderately,  and  we  all  drew  around  the  fire,  the  light  of  which  was  the  only 
one  we  had.  Hunting  stories  and  kindred  topics  served  to  talk  down  the 
hours  till  bedtime. 

On  awaking  in  the  morning,  I  saw  two  ladies  cooking  breakfast  in  my 
bed-room,  and  three  gentlemen  seated  over  the  fire,  watching  that  interest- 
ing operation.  After  breakfast,  I  bade  my  host  farewell,  buckled  on  my 
knapsack,  and  left.  He  was  a  generous,  warm-hearted  man,  and  on  my 
offering  remuneration,  he  replied,  "  You  are  welcome  ;  call  again  when  this 
way." 

In  the  course  of  two  hours,  I  came  to  a  cabin  by  the  wayside.  There  be- 
ing no  gate,  I  sprang  over  the  fence,  entered  the  open  door,  and  was  received 
with  a  hearty  welcome.  It  was  a  humble  dwelling ;  the  abode  of  poverty. 
The  few  articles  of  furniture^were  neat  and  pleasingly  arranged.  In  the  cor- 
ner stood  two  beds,  one  hung  with  curtains,  and  both  with  coverlets  of  snowy 
white,  contrasting  with  the  dingy  log  walls,  rude  furniture,  and  rough-boarded 
floor  of  this,  the  only  room  in  the  dwelling.  Around  a  cheerful  (ire  was 
seated  an  interesting  family  group.  In  one  corner,  on  the  hearth,  sat  the  mother 
— who  had  given  up  her  chair  to  me — smoking  a  pipe.  Next  to  her  was  a 
little  girl  in  a  small  chair,  holding  a  young  kitten.  In  the  opposite  corner  sat 
a  venerable  old  man  of  Herculean  stature,  robed  in  a  hunting-shirt,  and  with 
a  countenance  as  majestic  and  impressive  as  that  of  a  Roman  senator.  In  the 
center  of  the  group  was  a  young  maiden,  modest  and  retiring,  not  beautiful,  ex- 
cept in  that  moral  beauty  virtue  gives.  She  was  reading  to  them  from  a  little 
book.  She  was  the  only  one  of  the  family  who  could  read,  and  she  could 
do  so  but  imperfectly.  In  that  small  volume,  which,  perhaps,  cost  two  shil- 
lings, was  the  whole  secret  of  the  neatness  and  happiness  found  in  this  lowly 
cot.  That  little  book  was  the  New  Testament. 

I  conversed  with  the  old  man.  He  was,  he  said,  "  a  poor  mountaineer, 
ignorant  of  the  world."  He  was,  it  is  true ;  but  he  had  the  independence  of 
a  man — the  humility  of  a  Christian.  As  I  left  the  cottage,  the  snow-flakes 
were  slowly  falling ;  and  I  pursued  my  lonely  way  through  the  forest  with 

f 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  325 

buoyant  feelings,  reflecting  upon  this  exhibition  of  the  religion  of  the  meek 
and  lowly  One. 

Beautiful  are  these  ^nes  where  applied  to  a  similar  scene: 

"Compared  with  this,  how  poor  Religion's  pride 
.  In  all  the  pomp  of  method  and  of  art, 

Where  men  display  to  congregations  wide 
Devotion's  every  grace  except  the  heart : 
But  happy  we  in  some  cottage  far  apart 
May  hear  well  pleased  the  language  of  the  soul !" 


FREMONT'S  EXPEDITIONS. 

JOHN  C.  FREMONT,*  originally  a  lieutenant  of  the  U.  S.  Topographical  En- 
gineers, made  three  expeditions  to  the  far  west,  under  the  authority  of  the 
General  Government,  a  fourth  being  on  his  own  individual  account.  The 
object  of  the  First  Expedition — made  in  1842 — wag  to  explore  the  country 
between  the  frontiers  of  Missouri  and  the  South  Pass  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, on  the  line  of  the  Great  Platte  and  Kansas  rivers.  His  party  was  al- 
most entirely  made  up  in  the  vicinity  of  St.  Louis,  and  numbered  twenty-eight, 
including  himself.  It  consisted  principally  of  Creole  and  Canadian  voyageurs 
of  French  descent,  and  familiar  with  prairie  life  from  having  been  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  fur  companies  in  the  Indian  country.  The  noted  Christopher  or 
Kit  Carson  was  engaged  as  guide.  On  the  10th  of  June,  the  party  left 
Choteau's  trading-house,  near  the  Missouri,  four  hundred  miles  above  St. 
Louis,  on  the  route  of  their  intended  explorations. 

The  journey  was  one  of  much  interest,  and  occasionally  enlivened  by  buf- 
falo hunts  and  "interviews  with  the  Indians  of  the  plains.  On  the  10th  of 
July,  they  reached  Vrain's  Fort,  on  the  south  fork  of  the  Platte,  and  four 
days  after,  Fort  Laramie,  on  Laramie's  River.  This  latter  post  belonged  to 
the  American  Fur  Company,  and  was  inhabited  by  a  motley  collection  of 
traders  with  their  Indian  wives  and  parti-colored  children.  After  passing  be- 
yond the  Hot  Spring  and  the  Devil's  Gates,  two  narrow  and  lofty  rocky  pas- 
sages in  the  mountains,  on  the  8th  of  August,  they  came  to  the  South  Pass 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  On  the  15th,  Fremont  ascended  the  loftiest  peak 
in  this  part  of  the  range,  which  is  about  one  hundred  miles  north  of  the 
southern  boundary  of  Oregon.  It  is  now  called  Fremont's  Peak,  and  rises 
13,570  feet  above  the  Mexican  Gulf,  and  is  in  the  part  termed  the  Wind 
River  Mountains. 

"  We  rode  on,"  says  Fremont,  in  describing  the  ascent,  "  until  we  came 
almost  immediately  below  the  main  peak,  which  I  denominated  the  Snow 
Peak,  as  it  exhibited  more  snow  to  the  eye  than  any  of  the  neighboring  sum- 
mits. Here  were  three  small  lakes  of  a  green  color,  each  of,  perhaps,  a 
thousand  yards  in  diameter,  and  apparently  very  deep.  We  managed  to  get 
our  mules  up  to  a  little  bench,  about  a  hundred  feet  above  the  lakes,  where 

*  The  father  of  John  Charles  Fremont  was  an  emigrant  gentleman  from  France  ;  his  mother,  a 
lady  of  Virginia.  Fremont  was  born  in  South  Carolina,  and  at  the  age  of  four  years,  his  father 
died.  When  seventeen  years  old,  he  graduated  at  Charleston  College,  and  thenceforward  contri- 
buted to  the  support  of  his  mother  and  her  younger  children,  first  in  teaching  mathematics  and 
then  by  civil  engineering.  He  then  was  engaged  as  an  assistant  to  M.  Nicollet  in  the  survey  of 
the  Upper  Mississippi,  and  was  with  him  two  years  in  the  survey  and  two  years  additional  in  Wash- 
ington city,  in  drawing  the  elaborate  map  of  the  expedition.  Having  received  a  lieutenant's  com- 
mission in  the  Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers,  he,  thirsting  for  adventure,  proposed  and  planned 
the  first  expedition  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Hia  powers  of  endurance  in  a  slender  form — his  in- 
trepid coolness  amid  appalling  danger — his  vast  contributions  to  science — and  his  twenty  thousand 
mil.'*  of  wilderness  explorations,  has  given  to  his  nam«  a  wide  spread  celebrity. 


326  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

there  was  a.  patch  of  good  grass,  and  turned  them  loose  to  graze.  Having  di- 
vested ourselves  of  every  unnecessary  incumbrance,  we  commenced  this  time 
like  experienced  travelers.  We  did  not  press  ourselves,  but  climbed  leisurely, 
sitting  down  so  soon  as  we  found  breath  beginning  to  fail.  At  intervals,  we 
reached  places  where  a  number  of  springs  gushed  from  the  rocks,  and  about 
eighteen  hundred  feet  above  the  lakes,  came  to  the  snow  line.  From  this 
point,  our  progress  was  uninterrupted  climbing.  Here  I  put  on  a  pair  of  light, 
thin  moccasins,  as  the  use  of  our  toes  became  necessary  to  a  further  advance. 
I  availed  myself  of  a  sort  of  a  comb  of  the  mountain,  which  stood  against  the 
wall  as  a  buttress,  and  which  the  wind  and  solar  radiation,  joined  to  the  steep- 
ness of  the  smooth  rock,  had  kept  almost  entirely  free  from  snow.  Up  this  I 
made  my  way  rapidly.  In  a  few  minutes  we  reached  a  point  where  the  but- 
tress was  overhanging,  and  there  was  no  other  way  of  surmounting  the  diffi- 
culty than  by  passing  around  one  side  of  it,  which  was  the  face  of  a  vertical 
precipice  of  several  hundred  feet. 

"  Putting  hands  and  feet  in  the  crevices  between  the  rock,  1  succeeded  in 
getting  over  it,  and  when  I  reached  the  top,  found  my  companions  in  a  small 
valley  below.  Descending  to  them,  we  continued  climbing,  and  in  a  short 
time,  reached  the  crest.  I  sprang  upon  the  summit,  and  another  step  would 
have  precipitated  me  into  an  immense  field  below.  As  soon  as  I  had  gratified 
the  first  feelings  of  curiosity,  I  descended,  and  each  man  ascended  in  his  turn ; 
for  I  would  only  allow  one  at  a  time  to  mount  the  unstable  and  precarious 
slab,  which,  it  seemed,  a  breath  would  hurl  into  the  abyss  below.  We 
mounted  the  barometer  in  the  snow  of  the  summit,  and  fixing  a  ramroad  in  a 
crevice,  unfurled  the  national  flag  to  wave  in  the  breeze  where  never  a  flag 
waved  before.  A  stillness,  the  most  profound,  and  a  terrible  solitude,  forced 
themselves  constantly  on  the  mind  as  the  great  features  of  the  place.  The 
day  was  sunny  and  clear ;  but  a  bright  shining  mist  hung  over  the  lower 
plains,  which  interfered  with  our  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  On  one 
side,  we  overlooked  innumerable  lakes  and  streams,  the  springs  of  the  Colo- 
rado of  the  Gulf  of  California  ;  and  on  the  other,  was  the  Wind  River  Val- 
ley, where  were  the  heads  of  the  Yellow  Stone  branch  of  the  Missouri ;  far 
to  the  north,  we  could  just  discover  the  snowy  heads  of  the  Trois  Tetons  (a 
cluster  of  high  pointed  mountains,  covered  with  perpetual  snow,  rising,  almost 
perpendicularly,  10,000  feet),  where  were  the  sources  of  the  Missouri  and 
Columbia  Rivers;  and  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  ridge,  the  peaks  were 
plainly  visible,  among  which  were  some  of  the  springs  of  the  Nebraska  or 
Platte  River.  Around  us,  the  whole  scene  had  one  main  striking  feature, 
which  was  that  of  terrible  convulsion.  Parallel  to  its  length,  the  ridge  was 
split  into  chasms  and  figures  ;  between  which  rose  the  thin,  lofty  walls,  ter- 
minating with  slender  minarets  and  columns.  We  had  accomplished  an  ob- 
ject of  laudable  ambition  and  beyond  the  letter  of  our  instructions.  We  had 
climbed  the  loftiest  peak  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  looked  down  upon  the 
snow  below,  and  standing  where  human  feet  had  never  stood  before,  felt  the 
exultation  of  first  explorers."  Soon  after,  the  party  set  out  on  their  return, 
and  on  the  17th  of  October,  arrived  at  St.  Louis. 

Fremont's  Second  Expedition  was  made  to  Oregon  and  California  in  the 
years  1843  '44.  His  corps  numbered  thirty-nine  men,  consisting  principally 
of  Creoles,  Canadian  French  and  Americans.  The  party  started  from  the 
little  town  of  Kansas,  on  the  Missouri  frontier,  on  the  29th  of  May.  Their 
route  was  up  the  valley  of  the  Kansas  to  the  head  of  the  Arkansas  and  to 
gome  pass  in  the  mountains,  if  any  could  be  fo^nd  at  the  sources  of  that  river. 

In  the  early  part  of  their  journey,  trains  of  emigrant  wagons  were  almost 
constantly  in  sight  on  their  way  to  Oregon.  On  the  10th  ot  July,  they  came 


FREMONT'S    PEAK.    ROCKY    MOUNTAINS 

"We  had  climbed  the  loftiest  peak  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  looked  down  upon 
the  snow  below,  and,  standing  where  human  feet  had  never  stood  before,  felt  tb« 
exultation  of  first  explorers  " 

. 


41 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL   CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  329 

in  full  sight  of  Pike's  Peak.  It  looked  grand  and  luminous,  glittering  with 
snow  at  the  distance  of  forty  miles.  On  the  !3th  of  August,  they  crossed  the 
Rocky  Mountains  at  the  South  Pass.  This  is  on  the  common  traveling  route 
of  emigration  to  Oregon,  and  about  halfway  between  the  Mississippi  and  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  On  the  6th  of  September,  they  ascended  an  eminence  from 
which  they  beheld  the  object  of  their  anxious  search — the  waters  of  the  Great 
Salt  Lake,  "the  Inland  Sea,  stretching  in  a  still  solitary  grandeur  far  beyond 
the  limits  of  their  vision."  (See  page  418.) 

After  the  party  had  visited  the  lake,  they  resumed  their  route  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia,  where  they  arrived  on  the  25th  of  October,  at  the  Nez 
Perces  Fort,  one  of  the  trading  establishments  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company, 
at  the  junction  of  the  Wallawalla  with  the  Columbia  River. 

On  the  4th  of  November,  they  came  to  the  termination  of  their  land  jour- 
ney westward,  from  which  point  they  proceeded  down  the  river  in  boats  to 
Fort  Vancouver,  on  the  Columbia,  about  one  hundred  miles  from  its  entrance 
into  the  Pacific.  There  they  were  hospitably  received  by  Dr.  McLaughlin, 
the  executive  officer  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  west  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. They  set  out  on  their  return  on  the  25th  of  November,  by  a  southern 
route.  They  passed  to  the  south,  easterly  of  the  Cascade  Mountains,  to  the 
Pass  in  the  Sierra  Nevada,  on  whose  summit  they  encamped  on  the  20th  of 
February,  1844.  From  this  point  they  proceeded  in  a  southwesterly  direc- 
tion toward  San  Francisco.  The  party  suffered  severely  while  on  this  moun- 
tainous range.  Nearly  the  whole  journey  had  been  made  overground  covered 
with  snow,  without  forage  for  the  cattle,  who,  when  they  were  starved  to 
death,  were  eaten  by  their  famished  owners.  The  Indian  guides  would  pilot 
them  for  short  distances,  and  pointing  with  their  hands  the  direction  they 
should  take,  then  desert  them.  With  too  good  a  leader  to  go  in  any  other 
direction  than  that  pointed  out  by  duty,  too  brave  men  to  be  discouraged  by- 
hundreds  of  miles  of  untrodden  snow,  too  familiar  with  death  to  quail  at  his 
embrace,  they  persevered  and  murmured  not.  But  among  even  these  iron- 
hearted  travelers,  such  were  their  sufferings  that  some  became  deranged  and 
plunged  into  the  icy  torrents,  or  wandered  in  the  forests.  Well  might  Fre- 
mont have  said,  "  That  the  times  were  hard  when  stout  men  lost  their  minds 
from  extremity  of  suffering — when  horses  died — and  when  mules  and  horses, 
ready  to  die  from  starvation,  were  killed  for  food." 

On  the  10th  of  January,  Fremont  discovered  the  Pyramid  Lake  in  Califor- 
nia, about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  westerly  from  the  Great  Salt  Lake. 
It  is  about  forty  miles  long  and  twenty  broad,  and  was  named  from  a  huge 
rock  of  about  six  hundred  feet  in  height,  rising  from  the  water,  and  presenting 
a  close  resemblance  in  form  to  the  great  pyramid  of  Cheops.  It  appeared  to 
the  party  like  a  gem  in  the  mountains — its  dark  green  waves  curling  in  the 
breeze.  The  position  and  elevation  of  this  lake  makes  it  an  object  of  great 
geographical  interest.  It  is  the  nearest  lake  to  the  western  rim,  as  the  Great 
Salt  Lake  is  to  the  eastern  rim  of  the  Great  Basin,  which  lies  between  the 
Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  has  a  length  and  breadth  of 
about  five  hundred  miles.  The  Great  Basiii  is  thus  described  by  Fremont : — 
"  Elevation  between  four  thousand  and  five  thousand  feet — surrounded  by 
lofty  mountains — contents  almost  entirely  unknown,  but  believed  to  be  filled 
with  rivers  and  lakes,  which  have  no  communication  with  the  sea — deserts 
and  oases  which  have  never  been  explored,  and  savage  tribes  which  no  traveler 
has  seen  or  described." 

On  the  2Uth  of  February,  they  encamped  on  the  summit  of  the  Pass,  on 
the  dividing  ridge  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  (i.  e.  Snowy  Mountain),  which  rises 
several  thousand  feet  higher  than  even  the  Rocky  Mountains. 


330  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

"  On  the  6th  of  March,"  says  Fremont,  "  we  came  unexpectedly  into  a 
large  Indian  village,  where  the  people  looked  clean  and  wore  cotton  shirts, 
and  various  other  articles  of  dress.  They  immediately  crowded  around  us, 
and  we  had  the  inexpressible  delight  to  find  one  who  spoke  a  little  indifferent 
Spanish,  but  who,  at  first,  confounded  us  by  saying  that  there  were  no  whites 
in  the  country ;  but  just  then,  a  well  dressed  Indian  came  up  and  made  his 
salutations  in  very  well  spoken  Spanish.  In  answer  to  our  inquiries,  he  in- 
formed us  that  we  were  upon  the  Rio  de  Los  Americanos — the  river  of  the 
Americans — and  that  it  joined  the  Sacramento  about  two  miles  below.  Never 
did  a  name  sound  more  sweetly  !  We  felt  ourselves  among  our  countrymen ; 
for  the  name  of  American,  in  these  distant  parts,  is  applied  to  the  citizens  of 
the  United  States.  To  our  eager  inquiries,  he  replied,  'I  am  a  vaqucro 
(cowherd),  in  the  service  of  Capt.  Sutter,  and  the  people  in  this  ranche 
work  for  him.'  Our  evident  satisfaction  made  him  communicative  ;  and  he 
went  on  to  say,  that  Capt.  Sutter  was  a  very  rich  man,  and  always  glad  to 
see  his  country  people.  We  asked  for  his  house.  He  answered,  it  was  just 
over  the  hill  before  us,  and  offered,  if  we  would  wait  a  moment,  to  take  his 
horse  and  conduct  us  to  it.  We  readily  accepted  his  civil  offer.  In  a  short 
distance,  we  came  in  sight  of  the  fort ;  and  passing  on  the  way,  the  house  of 
a  settler  on  the  opposite  ridge  (a  Mr.  Sinclair),  we  forded  the  river;  and  in  a 
few  miles,  were  met  a  short  distance  from  the  fort  by  Capt.  Sutter  himself 
He  gave  us  most  frank  and  cordial  reception,  conducted  us  immediately  to  hi.c 
residence,  and  under  his  hospitable  roof,  we  had  a  night  of  rest,  enjoymen' 
and  refreshment,  which  none  but  ourselves  could  appreciate." 

The  route  homeward  was  resumed  on  the  24th  of  March.  They  passed 
along  the  valley  of  the  San  Joaquin  southward  to  its  head-waters,  where 
there  was  a  pass  through  the  mountains  to  the  east.  When  at  this  point, 
says  Fremont,  "  our  cavalcade  made  a  strange  and  grotesque  appearance,  and 
it  was  impossible  to  avoid  reflecting  uporl  our  position  and  composition  in 
this  remote  solitude.  Within  two  degrees  of  the  Pacific  Ocean ;  already  far 
south  of  the  latitude  of  Monterey ;  and  still  forced  on  south  by  a  desert  on 
the  one  hand,  and  a  mountain  range  on  the  other ;  guided  by  a  civilized  In- 
dian, and  attended  by  two  wild  ones  from  the  Sierra;  a  Chinook  from  Colum- 
bia ;  and  our  own  mixture  of  American,  French  and  Gefman — all  armed ;  four 
or  five  languages  heard  at  once ;  above  a  hundred  horses  and  mules  half  wild  ; 
American,  Spanishxand  Indian  dresses  intermingled — such  was  our  composi- 
tion. Our  march  was  a  sort  of  procession.  Scouts  ahead  and  on  the  flanks; 
a  front  and  rear  division;  the  pack  animals,  baggage  and  horned  cattle  in 
the  center ;  and  the  whole  stretching  a  quarter  of  a  mile  along  our  dreary 
path." 

Oja  the  18th  of  April,  Fremont  struck  the  Spanish  Trail,*  the  great  object 
of  their  searc*h.  From  the  middle  of  December,  they  had  been  forced  south 
by  mountains,  and  by  deserts,  and  now  would  have  to  make  six  degrees  of 
northing  to  regain  the  latitude  on  which  they  wished  to  re-cross  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  They  followed  the  Spanish  trail  to  New  Mexico,  four  hundred  and 
forty  miles,  and  then  struck  off  in  a  northern  direction  toward  Utah  Lake — 
the  southern  limb  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake — which  they  reached  on  the  25th 
of  May,  having  traveled  in  eight  months  an  immense  circuit  of  three  thou- 
sand five  hundred  miles.  They  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains  about  the 
middle  of  June,  about  one  hundred  and  ninety  miles  south  of  the  South  Pass. 

*  The  course  of  the  Spanish  Trail  is  shown  by  the  dotted  line— in  the  Map  of  the  Great  West 
in  this  volume— running  north-easterly  from  Angelos,  California,  up  into  and  through  the  southern 
part  of  Utah. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  331 

On  the  1st  of  July,  they  arrived  at  Bent's  Fort,  and,  on  the  31st  of  July, 
again  encamped  on  the  Kanzas,  on  the  frontiers  of  Missouri. 

Fremont  was  accompanied,  as  previously  mentioned,  in  this  expedition  by 
the  celebrated  Christopher  Carson,  commonly  called  "Kit  Carson."  Al- 
though scarce  thirty  winters  had  passed  over  him,  yet  no  name  was  better 
known  in  the  mountains  from  Yellow  Stone  to  Spanish  Peaks,  from  Missouri 
to  Columbia  River.  Small  in  stature,  slender  limbed,  but  with  muscles  of 
wire,  with  a  fair  complexion — to  look  at  Kit,  one  would  not  suppose  that  the 
mild  looking  being  before  him  was  noted  in  Indian  fight,  and  had  "  raised 
more  hair"  (i.  e.  scalped)  from  Red-skins,  than  any  two  men  in  the  western 
country.  Fremont  relates  a  desperate  adventure  in  which  Carson  and  another 
mountaineer  were  engaged,  which  illustrates  the  daring  bravery  of  the  moun- 
tain men. 

"  While  encamped  on  the  24th  of  April,  at  a  spring  near  the  Spanish  Trail, 
we  were  surprised  by  the  sudden  appearance  among  us  of  two  Mexicans ;  a 
man  and  a  boy — the  name  of  the  man  was  Andreas  Fuentas,  and  that  of  the 
boy  (a  handsome  lad  eleven  years  old)  Pablo  Hernandez.  With  a  cavalcade 
of  about  thirty  horses,  they  had  come  out  from  Pueblo  de  los  Angelos,  near 
the  Pacific;  had  lost  half  their  animals,  stolen  by  Indians,  and  now  sought 
my  camp  for  aid.  Carson  and  Godey,  two  of  my  men,  volunteered  to  pursue 
them,  with  the  Mexican;  and,  well  mounted,  the  three  set  oft'  on  the  trail. 
In  the  evening  Fuentas  returned,  his  horse  having  failed ;  but  Carson  and 
Godey  had  continued  the  pursuit. 

"  In  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  a  war-whoop  was  heard,  such  as  Indians 
make  when  returning  from  a  victorious  enterprise  ;  and  soon  Carson  and 
Godey  appeared  driving  before  them  a  band  of  horses,  recognized  by  Fuentas 
to  be  a  part  of  those  they  had  lost.  Two  bloody  scalps,  dangling  from  the 
end  of  Godey's  gun,  announced  that  they  had  overtaken  the  Indians  as  well 
as  the  horses.  They  had  continued  the  pursuit  alone  after  Fuentas  left  them, 
and  toward  night-fall  entered  the  mountains  into  which  the  trail  led.  After 
sunset  the  moon  gave  light,  and  they  followed  the  trail  by  moonlight  until 
late  in  the  night,  when  it  entered  a  narrow  defile,  and  was  difficult  to  follow. 
Here  they  lay  from  midnight  until  morning.  At  daylight  they  resumed  the 
pursuit,  and  at  sunrise  discovered  the  horses  ;  and  immediately  dismounting 
and  tying  up  their  own,  they  crept  cautiously  to  a  rising  ground  which  inter- 
vened, from  the  crest  of  which  they  perceived  the  encampment  of  four  lodges 
close  by.  They  proceeded  quietly,  and  had  got  within  thirty  or  forty  yards 
of  their  object,  when  a  movement  among  the  horses  discovered  them  to  the 
Indians.  Giving  the  war  shout,  they  instantly  charged  in  the  camp,  regard- 
less of  the  numbers  which  the  four  lodges  might  contain.  The  Indians  re- 
ceived them  with  a  flight  of  arrows,  shot  from  their  long  bows,  one  of  which 
passed  through  Godey's  shirt  collar,  barely  missing  the  neck.  Our  men  fired 
their  rifles  upon  a  steady  aim,  and  rushed  in.  Two  Indians  were  stretched 
upon  the  ground,  fatally  pierced  with  bullets ;  the  rest  fled,  except  a  lad,  who 
was  captured.  The  scalps  of  the  fallen  were  instantly  stripped  off,  but  in  the 
process,  one  of  them  who  had  two  balls  through  his  body,  sprung  to  his  feet, 
the  blood  streaming  from  his  skinned  head,  and  uttered  a  hideous  howl.  The 
frightful  spectacle  appalled  the  stout  hearts  of  our  men ;  but  they  did  what 
humanity  required,  and  quickly  terminated  the  agonies  of  the  gory  savage 
They  were  now  masters  of  the  camp,  which  was  a  pretty  little  recess  in  t'he 
mountain,  with  a  fine  spring,  and  apparently  safe  from  all  invasion.  Great 
preparations  had  been  made  for  feasting  a  large  party,  for  it  was  a  very  proper 
place  for  a  rendezvous,  and  for  the  celebration  of  such  orgies  as  robbers  of 
the  desert  would  delight  in  Several  of  the  horses  had  been  killed,  skinned. 


332  HISTORICAL   EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

and  cut  up — for  the  Indians  living  in  the  mountains,  and  only  coming  into 
the  plains  to  rob  and  murder,  make  no  other  use  of  horses  than  to  eat  them. 
Large  earthen  vessels  were  on  the  fire,  boiling  and  stewing  the  horse  beef; 
and  several  baskets  containing  fifty  or  sixty  pairs  of  moccasins,  indicated  the 
presence  or  expectation  of  a  large  party.  They  released  the  boy,  who  had 
given  strong  evidence  of  the  stoicism,  or  something  else  of  the  savage  char- 
acter, by  commencing  his  breakfast  upon  a  horse's  head,  as  soon  as  he  found 
he  was  not  to  be  killed,  but  only  tied  as  a  prisoner. 

"  Their  object  accomplished,  our  men  gathered  up  all  the  surviving  horses, 
fifteen  in  number,  returned  upon  their  trail,  and  rejoined  us  at  our  camp  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  same  day.  They  had  rode  about  one  hundred  miles  in  the 
pursuit  and  return,  and  all  in  thirty  hours.  The  time,  place,  object  and  num- 
ters  considered,  this  expedition  of  Carson  and  Godey  may  be  considered 
among  the  boldest  and  most  disinterested  which  the  annals  of  western  adven- 
ture, so  full  of  daring  deeds,  can  present.  Two  men,  in  a  savage  wilderness, 
pursue  day  and  night  an  unknown  body  of  Indians  into  the  defiles  of  an  un- 
known mountain — attack  them  on  sight  without  counting  numbers — and  de- 
feat them  in  an  instant — and  for  what? — to  punish  the  robbers  of  the  desert, 
and  revenge  the  wrongs  of  Mexicans  whom  they  did  not  know.  I  repeat,  it 
was  Carson  and  Godey  who  did  this — the  former  an  American,  born  in 
Boonslick  County,  Missouri;  the  latter  a  Frenchman,  born  in  St.  Louis — 
and  both  trained  to  western  enterprise  from  early  life." 

In  the  fall  of  1845,  Fremont  started  on  his  third  expedition.  His  object 
was,  if  possible,  to  discover  a  new  route  to  Oregon,  south  of  the  one  usually 
traveled.  But  his  expedition  ultimately  became  diverted  from  its  intended 
object  by  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities  between  the  United  States  and  Mex- 
ico, and  he  became  an  active  participant  in  the  conquest  of  California,  where 
he  had  arrived  in  January  1846. 

In  June  of  1847,  he  commenced  his  return  to  the  United  States  across  the 
country  by  the  South  Pass,  in  company  with  Gen.  Kearney,  and  other  officers 
and  privates,  to  the  number  of  about  forty.  At  Fort  Leavenworth,  on  the 
Missouri  frontier,  he  was  arrested  by  Gen.  Kearney,  tried,  and  condemned  to 
lose  his  commission,  on  account  of  some  alleged  breach  of  military  etiquette. 
The  President,  however,  pronounced  his  pardon;  but  Fremont,  in  June  (1848), 
resigned ;  maintaining  that  he  had  done  no  wrong,  and  desired  no  clemency. 

The  fourth  and  last  expedition  of  Fremont  was  a  private  enterprise.  His 
objects  were  multifarious,  but  he  appears  to  have  had  in  view,  the  discovery 
of  a  proper  route  for  the  great  highway  connecting  the  Mississippi  with  the 
Pacific.  The  termination  of  this  expedition  was  disastrous  to  all  concerned, 
the  history  of  which  has  been  given  in  two  private  letters  of  Fremont. 

On  the  25th  of  November  1848,  Fremont  with  his  party,  left  the  Upper 
Pueblo  Fort,  near  the  head  of  the  Arkansas.  They  had  upwards  of  one 
hundred  and  thirty  good  mules,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  bushels  of  shelled 
corn,  intended  as  a  support  for  their  animals  in  the  deep  snows  of  the  high 
mountains.  The  great  error  of  the  expedition  appears  to  have  been  in  en- 
gaging, as  a  guide,  an  old  trapper,  well  known  as  "  Bill  Williams,"  who  had 
spent  some  twenty-five  years  of  his  life  in  trapping  in  various  parts  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  He  proved  never  to  have  known,  or  to  have  entirely  for- 
gotten the  country  through  which  they  were  to  pass. 

"The  llth  of  December,"  says  Fremont  in  his  first  letter,  "we  found 
ourselves  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  del  Norte  canon,  where  that  river  issues 
ifrom  the  Sierra  San  Juan — one  of  the  highest,  most  rugged,  and  impracticable 
of  all  the  Rocky  Mountain  ranges,  inaccessible  to  trappers  and  hunters,  even 
in  summer.  Across  the  point  of  this  elevated  range,  our  guide  conducted  us; 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  333 

and,  having  great  confidence  in  this  man's  knowledge,  we  pressed  onward 
with  fatal  resolution.  Even  along  the  river  bottoms,  the  snow  was  breast 
deep  for  the  mules,  and  falling  frequently  in  the  valley,  and  almost  constantly 
in  the  mountains.  The  cold  was  extraordinary.  At  the  warmest  hours  of 
the  most  pleasant  day,  the  thermometer  stood  at  zero.  Judge  of  the  night 
and  the  storms ! 

"  We  pressed  up  toward  the  summit,  the  snow  deepening  as  we  rose,  and 
in  four  or  five  days  of  this  struggling  and  climbing,  all  on  foot,  we  reached 
the  naked  ridges  which  lie  above  the  line  of  the  timbered  region,  and  which 
form  the  dividing  heights  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans.  Along 
these  naked  heights  it  storms  all  winter,  and  the  winds  sweep  across  them 
with  remorseless  ftiry.  On  our  first  attempt  to  cross,  we  encountered  a  pou* 
derie — dry  snow  driven  thick  through  the  air  by  violent  wind,  and  in  which 
objects  are  visible  only  a  short  distance — and  were  driven  back,  having  some 
ten  or  twelve  men  variously  frozen — face,  hands  or  feet.  The  guide  came 
near  being  frozen  to  death  here,  and  dead  mules  were  lying  about  the  camp 
fires.  Meantime,  it  snowed  steadily.  The  next  day  (December),  we  renewed 
the  attempt  to  scale  the  summit,  and  were  more  fortunate,  it  then  seemed. 
Making  mauls,  and  beating  down  a  road  or  trench  through  the  deep  snow,  we 
forced  the  ascent  in  spite  of  the  driving  pouderie,  crossed  the  crest,  descended 
a  little,  and  encamped  immediately  below  in  the  edge  of  the  timbered  region. 
The  trail  showed  as  if  a  defeated  party  had  passed  by — packs,  pack-saddles, 
scattered  articles  of  clothing,  and  dead  mules  strewed  along.  We  were  en- 
camped about  twelve  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Westward 
the  country  was  buried  in  snow.  The  storm  continued.  All  movement  was 
paralyzed.  To  advance  with  the  expedition  was  impossible.  To  get  back 
was  impossible.  Our  fate  stood  revealed.  We  were  overtaken  by  sudden, 
and  inevitable  ruin.  The  poor  animals  were  to  go  first. 

"  It  was  instantly  apparent  that  we  should  lose  every  one.  I  took  my 
resolution  immediately,  and  determined  to  recross  the  mountain  back  to  the 
valley  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  dragging  or  packing  the  baggage  by  men.  With, 
great  labor  the  baggage  was  transported  across  the  crest  to  the  head  springs. 
of  a  little  stream  leading  to  the  main  river.  A  few  days  were  sufficient  to  de- 
stroy that  fine  band  of 'mules.  They  would  generally  keep  huddled  together ;« 
and'as  they  froze,  one  would  be  seen  to  tumble  down  and  disappear  under  the- 
driving  snow.  Sometimes  they  would  break  off,  and  rush  down  toward  the- 
timber  until  stopped  by  the  deep  snow,  where  they  were  s«.  on  hidden  by  the- 
ponder ie.  The  courage  of  some  of  the  men  began  to  fail." 

In  this  situation,  Fremont  determined  to  send  a  party  to  New  Mexico  for 
provisions,  and  for  mules  to  transport  their  baggage.  King,  Brackenridge,, 
Creutzfcldt,  and  the  guide,  Williams,  were  selected  for  this  purpose  ;  the- 
party  being  placed  under  the  command  of  King.  Now  came  on  the  tedium 
of  waiting  for  the  return  of  this  relief  party.  Day  after  day  passed,  and  m> 
news  from  them.  Snow  fell  almost  incessantly  in  the  mountains.  The 
spirits  of  the  camp  grew  lower.  Life  was  losing  its  charms  to  those  who- 
had  not  reasons  beyond  themselves  to  live.  Proue  laid  down  in  the  trail  and 
froze  to  death.  In  a  sunshine  day,  and  having  with  him  the  means  to  make 
a  fire,  he  threw  his  blanket  down  on  the  trail,  laid  down  upon  it,  and  laid 
there  till  he  froze  to  death  ! 

Sixteen  days  passed  away,  and  no  tidings  from  the  party  sent  for  relief. 
Weary  with  delay  and  oppressed  with  anxiety,  Fremont  determined  to  go  ia 
person,  in  search  of  the  absent  party  and  for  relief  in  the  Mexican  settlements. 
Leaving  the  camp  employed  with  the  baggage,  under  the  command  of  Vin- 
cent Haler,  with  injunctions  to  follow  in  three  days,  Fremont  set  off  down 


334  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

the  river,  with  Godey,  Preuss,  and  Saunders,  a  colored  servant,  leaving  in 
camp,  provisions  only  for  a  few  meals. 

"On  the  sixth  day  after  leaving  camp,"  says  Fremont,  "about  sunset,  we 
discovered  a  little  smoke  in  a  grove  of  timber  off  from  the  river,  and  thinking 
it  might  be  our  express  party  (Kingj  and  his  men  on  their  return),  we  went  to 
see.  This  was  the  twenty-second  day  since  that  party  had  left  us.  We 
found  them — three  of  them :  Creutzfeldt,  Brackenridge,  and  Williams — the 
most  miserable  objects  I  had  ever  beheld.  I  did  not  recognize  Creutzfeldt's 
features  when  Brackenridge  brought  him  up  and  told  me  his  name.  They 
had  been  starving.  King  had  starved  to  death  a  few  days  before.  His  re- 
mains were  some  six  or  eight  miles  above,  near  the  river.  By  the  aid  of  the 
Indian  horses,  we  carried  these  three  with  us  down  the  valley,  to  the  Pueblo 
on  the  Little  Colorado,  which  we  reached  the  fourth  day  afterward,  having 
traveled  in  snow  and  on  foot  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles.  I  looked  upon 
the  feelings  which  induced  me  to  set  out  for  the  camp  as  an  inspiration.  Had 
I  remained  there,  waiting  the  return  of  poor  King's  party,  every  man  of  us 
must  have  perished." 

"The  morning  after  reaching  the  Little  Colorado  Pueblo — horses  and  sup- 
plies not  being  there — Godey  and  I  rode  on  to  the  Rio  Hondo,  and  thence  to 
Taos,  about  twenty-five  miles,  where  we  found  what  we  needed;  and  the 
next  morning,  Godey,  with  four  Mexicans,  thirty  horses  or  mules  and  provi- 
sions, set  out  on  his  return  to  the  relief  of  Vincent  Haler's  party." 

Fremont  waited  in  much  anxiety  for  the  successful  return  of  those  left  be- 
hind, from  the  17th  of  January  until  February  5th,  when  Vincent  Haler 
came  in.  In  a  subsequent  letter,  written  the  next  day  at  Taos,  some  eighty 
miles  north  of  Santa  Fe,  he  gives  the  following  account  of  the  terrible  cala- 
mities that  befell  those  that  were  left  behind : — 

"You  will  remember  that  I  left  in  the  camp,  twenty-three  men — when  I 
•set  off  with  Godey,  Preuss,  and  my  servant,  in  search  of  King  and  succor, 
with  directions  about  the  baggage,  and  with  occupation  sufficient  to  employ 
Ihem  about  it  for  three  or  four  days ;  after  which  they  were  to  follow  me 
<down  the  river.  Within  that  time,  I  expected  relief  from  King's  party,  if  it 
-came  at  all.  They  remained  seven  days  and  then  started,  their  scant  provi- 
sions about  exhausted,  and  the  dead  mules  on  the  western  side  of  the  great 
Sierra,  buried  under  snow. 

"  Manuel, — you  will  remember  Manuel,  a  Christian  Indian,  of  the  Co- 
•jsumne  tribe,  in  the  valley  of  the  San  Joaquin — gave  way  to  a  feeling  of 
despair,  after  they  had  moved  about  two  miles,  and  begged  Vincent  Haler, 
^whom  I  had  left  in  command,  to  shoot  him.  Failing  to  find  death  in  that 
form,  he  turned  and  made  his  way  back  to  camp,  intending  to  die  there.  The 
party  moved  on,  and  at  ten  miles  Wise  gave  out,  threw  away  his  gun  and 
olanket,  and  at  a  few  hundred  yards  further,  fell  over  into  the  snow  and  died. 
Two  Indian  boys,  countrymen  of  Manuel,  were  behind.  They  came  upon 
Jlim,  rolled  him  up  in  his  blanket,  and  buried  him  in  the  snow  on  the  bank 
of  the  river. 

"  No  other  died  that  day.     None  the  next. 

"Carver  raved  during  the  night — his  '  pagination  wholly  occupied  with 
images  of  many  things  which  he  fancied  himself  to  be  eating.  In  the  morn- 
ing  he  wandered  off,  and  probably  soon  died.  He  was  not  seen  again.  Sorel 
•on  this  day — the  fourth  from  camp — laid  down  to  die.  They  built  him  a 
•fire,  and  Morin,  who  was  in  a  dying  condition  and  snow-blind,  remained  with 
ihim.  These  two  probably,  did  not  last  until  the  next  morning.  That  eve- 
.ning — I  think  it  was, — Hubbard  killed  a  deer.  They  killed  here  and  there, 
«  grouse,  but  nothing  else,  the  deep  snow  in  the  valley  having  driven  off  the 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  335 

same.  The  state  of  the  party  became  desperate,  and  brought  Haler  to  the 
determination  of  breaking  it  up,  in  order  to  prevent  them  from  living  upon 
each  other.  He  told  them  that  he  had  done  all  that  he  could  for  them — that 
they  had  no  other  hope  remaining  for  them  than  the  expected  relief — and  that 
the  best  plan  was  to  scatter  and  make  the  best  of  their  way,  each  as  he  could, 
down  the  river;  that  for  himself,  if  he  was  to  be  eaten,  he  would  at  all  events, 
be  found  traveling  when  he  did  die.  The  address  had  its  effect.  They  ac- 
cordingly separated. 

"With  Haler,  continued  five  others — Scott,  Hubbard,  Martin,  Bacon, 
Roher,  and  the  two  Cosnmne  boys.  Roher  now  became  despondent,  and 
stopped.  Haler  reminded  him  of  his  family  and  urged  him  to  try  and  hold 
out  for  their  sake.  Roused  by  this  appeal  to  his  tenderest  affections,  the  un- 
fortunate man  moved  forward,  but  feebly,  and  soon  began  to  fall  behind.  On 
a  further  appeal,  he  promised  to  follow  and  to  overtake  them  at  evening. 
Haler,  Scott,  Hubbard,  and  Martin,  now  agreed  that  if  any  one  of  them 
should  give  out,  the  others  were  not  to  wait  for  him  to  die,  but  to  push  on 
and  try  to  save  themselves.  Soon  this  mournful  covenant  had  to  be  kept.  .  .  . 
At  night  Kerne's  party  encamped  a  few  hundred  yards  from  Haler's,  with  the 
intention,  according  to  Taplin,  of  remaining  where  they  were  until  the 
relief  should  come,  and  in  the  meantime  to  live  upon  those  who  had  died, 
and  upon  the  weaker  ones  as  they  should  die.  With  this  party  were  the 
three  brothers  Kerne,  Chaplin,  Cathart,  McKie,  Andrews,  Stepperfeldt,  and 
Taplin. 

"  Ferguson  and  Beadle  had  remained  together  behind.  In  the  evening, 
Roher  came  up  and  remained  in  Kerne's  party.  Haler  learnt  afterward,  from 
some  of  the  party,  that  Roher  and  Andrews  wandered  off  the  next  morning 
and  died.  They  say  they  saw  their  bodies.  Haler's  party  continued  on. 
After  a  few  hours,  Hubbard  gave  out.  According  to  the  agreement,  he  was 
left  to  die,  but  with  such  comfort  as  could  be  given  him.  They  built  him  a 
fire,  and  gathered  him  some  wood,  and  then  left  him — without  turning  their 
heads,  as  Haler  says,  to  look  at  him  as  they  went  off. 

"About  two  miles  further,  Scott — you  remember  him,  he  used  to  shoot 
birds  for  you  on  the  frontier — he  gave  out.  He  was  another  of  the  four  who 
had  covenanted  against  waiting  for  each  other.  The  survivors  did  for  him 
as  they  had  done  for  Hubbard,  and  passed  on. 

"  In  the  afternoon,  the  two  Indian  boys  went  ahead — blessed  be  these 
boys ! — and  before  nightfall  met  Godey  with  the  relief.  He  had  gone  on 
with  all  speed.  The  boys  gave  him  the  news.  He  fired  signal  guns  to  notify 
his  approach.  Haler  heara  the  guns,  and  knew  the  crack  of  our  rifles,  and 
felt  that  relief  had  come.  This  night  was  the  first  of  hope  and  joy.  Early 
in  the  morning,  with  the  first  gray  light,  Godey  was  in  the  trail,  and  soon 
met  Haler  with  the  wreck  of  his  party  slowly  advancing.  I  hear  that  they 
all  cried  together  like  children — these  men  of  iron  nerves  and  lion  hearts, 
when  dangers  were  to  be  faced  or  hardships  to  be  conquered!  They  were  all 
children  in  this  moment  of  melted  hearts.  Succor  was  soon  dealt  out  to  these 
few  first  met;  and  Godey  with  his  relief,  and  accompanied  by  Haler,  who 
turning  back  hurriedly,  followed  the  back  trail  in  search  of  the  living  and  the 
dead  scattered  in  the  rear.  They  came  to  Scott  first.  He  was  alive,  and  is 
saved  !  They  came  to  Hubbard  next.  He  was  dead  but  still  warm.  These 
were  the  only  ones  of  Haler's  party  that  had  been  left.  From  Kerne's  party, 
next  met,  they  learnt  the  deaths  of  Andrews  and  Roher;  and  a  little  further 
on,  met  Ferguson,  who  told  them  that  Beadle  had  died  the  night  before.  All 
the  living  were  found  and  saved,  Manuel  among  them — which  looked  like  a 
resurrection — and  reduced  the  number  of  the  dead  to  TEN — one-third  of  the 
42 


336  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

whole  party,  which  a  few  days  before,  were  scaling  the  mountain  with  me, 
and  battling  with  the  elements  12,000  feet  in  the  air. 

"How  rapid  are  the  changes  of  life  !  A  few  days  ago,  and  I  was  strug- 
gling through  snow  in  the  savage  wilds  of  the  Upper  Del  Norte — following 
the  course  of  the  river  in  more  than  Russian  cold,  no  food,  no  blanket  to  cover 
me  in  the  long  frozen  nights — uncertain  at  what  moment  of  the  night  we 
might  be  roused  by  the  Indian  rifle, — doubtful,  very  doubtful,  whether  I  should 
ever  see  you  or  friends  again.  Now  I  am  seated  by  a  comfortable  fire,  alone, 
pursuing  my  own  thoughts,  writing  to  you  in  the  certainty  of  reaching  you — • 
a  French  volume  of  Balzac  on  the  table — a  colored  print  of  the  landing  of 
Columbus  before  me — listening  in  safety  to  the  raging  storm  without! 

"You  will  wish  to  know  what  effect  the  scenes  I  have  passed  through 
have  had  upon  me.  In  person  none.  The  destruction  of  my  party  and  the 
loss  of  friends  are  causes  of  grief;  but  I  have  not  been  injured  in  body  or 
mind.  Both  have  been  strained  and  severely  taxed,  but  neither  hurt.  I  have 
seen  one  or  the  other,  and  sometimes  both,  give  way  in  strong  frames,  strong 
minds,  and  stout  hearts;  but  as  heretofore,  I  have  come  out  unhurt.  I  be- 
lieve that  the  remembrance  of  friends  sometimes  gives  us  a  power  of  resistance 
which  the  desire  to  save  our  own  lives  could  never  call  up." 

In  about  a  fortnight  after  writing  the  foregoing  account,  Fremont  made  up 
a  party  at  Santa  Fe,  and  started  for  California  overland,  by  the  old  Gila 
route,  where  he  arrived  early  in  the  succeeding  spring,  his  family  having  pre- 
ceded him  by  the  Panama  route. 


SKETCH  OP  MOKMONI8M. 

JOSEPH  SMITH,  the  founder  of  Mormonism,  was  born  of  humble  parentage, 
in  Sharon,  Vermont,  in  1805.  Some  ten  years  after,  his  family  removed 
to  Western  New  York.  Joseph,  when  a  young  man,  was  occasionally  em- 
ployed tin  Palmyra  as  a  laborer,  and  was  reputed  to  be  lazy  and  ignorant. 
According  to  the  testimony  of  respectable  individuals  in  that  place,  Smith  and 
his  father  were  addicted  to  disreputable  habits,  and  moreover,  extremely  su- 
perstitious and  believers  in  witchcraft. 

They,  at  one  time,  procured  a  mineral  rod,  and  dug  in  various  places  for 
certain  treasure,  the  existence  of  which  they  claimed  had  been  supernaturally 
revealed  tt>  them.  Young  Smith  stated  that  when  digging,  he  had  seen  the 
chest  in  which  it  was  contained,  but  never  was  able  to  get  it  into  his  hands, 
as  when  he  approached  it,  it  would  sink  deeper  into  the  earth.  He  also 
placed  a  singular  looking  stone  in  his  hat,  which  he  pretended  afforded  him 
light  by  which  he  made  many  wonderful  discoveries  01  buried  gold  and  silver. 

About  this  period,  by  some  means  unknown,  Joseph  got  possession  of  the 
inanuscript  of  the  book  of  Mormons.  This  work  was  based  upon  one  written 
by  Solomon  Spalding,  who  was  born  in  Connecticut,  in  1761,  graduated  at 
Dartmouth,  and  having  failed  in  mercantile  business,  in  1809,  removed  to 
Conneaut,  the  northeastern  corner  town  of  Ohio,  where* he  engaged  in  the 
iron  business.  While  there,  he  wrote  a  book,  which  he  called  the  "Manu- 
script Found,"  purporting  to  be  an  historical  romance  of  the  first  settlers  of 
America,  endeavoring  to  show  that  the  Indians  were  the  descendants  of  the 
lost  tribes  of  Israel.  Mr.  Spalding,  like  most  novices  in  the  art  of  author- 
ship, had  an  idea  that  the  book  would  make  his  fortune  and  enable  him  to 
pay  his  debts  ;  and  was  very  fond  of  reading  it  to  his  friends.  Having  again 
failed  in  business,  he  removed  to  Pittsburgh  in  1812,  and  died  in  that  region 
four  years  after.  While  in  Pittsburgh,  he  placed  his  manuscript  in  the  hands 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  '337 

jf  some  printers  for  examination,  and  there  all  traces  of  it  were  lost  to  his 
friends,  until  the  publication  of  the  Mormon  Bible,  when  his  old  Conneaut 
partner,  Mr.  Henry  Lake,  his  brother  John  Spalding,  and  several  other  JXT- 
sons,  recognized  it  as  being  essentially  the  same  as  the  "  Manuscript  Found." 

The  original  author  of  the  Mormon  conspiracy  is  supposed  to  have  bi-en 
Sidney  Rigdon,  a  clergyman  of  the  "  Disciples' "  order  of  Baptists.  TT^  took 
up  his  residence  at  Pittsburgh  about  the  year  1824,  and  there  became  intiumte 
with  the  printer,  Mr.  Lambdin,  with  whom  (he  manuscript  of  Spalding  had 
been  left.  He  remained  there  about  three  years,  during  which  time,  he  aban- 
doned preaching,  as  he  said,  to  devote  his  time  to  studying  the  bible ;  but,  as 
it  is  supposed,  to  re-write  Spalding's  manuscript.  He  then  left,  and  took  up 
his  residence  in  Mentor,  in  northeastern  Ohio,  and  commenced  preaching 
some  new  points  of  doctrine,  which  were  afterward  found  inculcated  in  the 
Mormon  Bible.  About  the  time  he  left  Pittsburgh,  Lambdin,  the  printer,  died. 
During  the  earlier  part  of  his  residence  in  Lake  County,  Rigdon  was  frequent- 
ly absent. 

About  this  period,  Joseph  Smith  claimed  to  have  knowledge  of  a  book  that 
unfolded  the  history  of  the  first  inhabitants  of  America.  The  necromantic 
fame  of  Smith  had,  ere  this,  extended  a  considerable  distance,  and  it  is  infer- 
red that  Rigdon  hearing  of  it,  had  communication  with  him  for  the  purpose 
of  making  him  the  medium  through  which  to  bring  his  work  before  the  world. 

It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1827,  that  Smith  first  pretended  that  he  had  found 
golden  plates  containing  the  Mormon  Bible,  which  were  engraved  in  hiero- 
glyphic characters,  inclosed  in  a  stone  box,  and  buried  in  a  hill  in  the  vicini- 
ty of  Palmyra.  The  existence  of  these  plates  he  claimed,  and  their  place  of 
concealment,  were  made  known  to  him  by  an  angel  sent  from  God. 

Smith  now  commenced  his  career  as  the  founder  of  the  new  sect,  by  ap- 
pointing a  number  of  meetings  at  Palmyra,  for  the  purpose  of  declaring  the 
Divine  revelations,  which  he  stated  were  made  to  him.  He  was,  however, 
unable  to  produce  any  excitement  in  the  village,  as  but  few  had  sufficient 
curiosity  to  listen  to  him.  Not  having  the  means  to  print  his  revelations,  he 
applied  to  Mr.  Crane,  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  stating  that  he  was  moved 
by  the  Spirit  to  call  upon  him  for  assistance.  To  this  request  Mr.  Crane 
answered,  that  he  had  better  go  to  work  or  he  would  end  his  career  in  the 
State  Penitentiary.  He  had  better  success  with  Martin  Harris,  who  owned  a 
fine  farm  in  Palmyra.  This  Harris  was  one  of  those  unstable,  weak  minded 
characters  who  are  ever  ready  to  adopt  every  novelty  in  religion  that  arises, 
he  having  been  by  turns,  a  Quaker,  a  Universalist,  a  Restrictionist,  a  Bap. 
tist,  a  Presbyterian,  and  finally  a  Mormon.  By  his  assistance,  about  five 
thousand  copies  of  the  Mormon  Bible  were  printed  in  1830,  at  an  expense  of 
about  three  thousand  dollars.  Harris  after  this,  was,  in  accordance  to  the 
testimony  of  his  wife  in  her  last  illness,  guilty  of  immoral  practices ;  and  in 
the  publication  of  this  work,  was  influenced  only  by  sordid  motives. 

Soon  after  its  publication,  Parley  B.  Pratt,  an  associate  of  Rigdon's,  was 
at  Palmyra,  and  became  a  pretended  convert  to  the  new  doctrine.  In  Octo- 
ber of  the  same  year,  he,  with  Cowdery,  Peterson  and  Whitmer,  arrived  at 
Mentor  with  a  supply  of  the  new  bibles.  In  that  vicinity,  at  Kirtland,  were 
a  few  families  of  Rigdon's  congregation,  who  having  become  extremely  fa- 
natical, were  looking  for  some  wonderful  event  to  take  place  in  the  world. 
Seventeen  of  these  persons  at  once  became  converts,  and  were  all  re-immersed 
in  one  night  by  Cowdery.  Rigdon  soon  joined  them,  and  by  his  means, 
Mormonism  received  a  powerful  impetus,  and  more  than  one  hundred  converts 
were  speedily  added.  Rigdon  visited  Palmyra,  where  he  remained  about  two 
months,  receiving  revelations  and  preaching.  Upon  his  return  to  Kirtland,  he 


338  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

was  followed  by  the  prophet  Smith  and  his  connections,  who,  from  a  state  of 
almost  beggary,  were  furnished  with  "the  fat  of  the  land"  by  their  disciples, 
some  of  whom  were  wealthy. 

From  this  time,  the  delusion  spread  rapidly.  Nearly  all  their  male  converts 
were  made  "  Elders,"  and  sent  forth  to  proclaim,  with  all  their  wild  enthu- 
siasm, the  wonders  and  mysteries  of  Mormonism.  All  those  having  a  taste 
for  the  marvelous  within  the  range  of  a  hundred  miles,  traveled  to  hear  the 
strange  revelations  from  the  throne  of  the  Prophet  at  Kirtland.  Their  'elders' 
made  many  converts  in  different  parts  of  the  north,  who  placing  their  all  in 
wagons,  wended  their  way  to  the  "  promised  land,"  in  order,  as  they  had 
been  told,  to  escape  the  judgments  of  Heaven,  which  were  soon  to  be  denounced 
upon  the  nation.  At  Kirtland,  the  Mormons  erected  a  splendid  temple  at  an 
expense  of  about  forty  thousand  dollars,  within  which  was  a  sacred  apartment, 
a  "  holy  of  holies,"  where  none  but  the  priests  were  allowed  to  enter.  While 
in  the  height  of  their  prosperity  there,  they  numbered  nearly  three  thousand 
souls. 

Before  the  arrival  of  the  Prophet  Smith,  at  Kirtland,  Cowdery  and  some 
of  his  companions  proceeded  to  the  west  with  the  avowed  intention,  under 
the  command  of  the  Lord,  of  converting  the  "  Lanamites,"  as  they  termed 
the  Indians.  They  remained  at  Independence,  Jackson  County,  on  the  fron- 
tier of  Missouri,  until  spring,  when  being  joined  by  others  from  Kirtland,  they 
laid  the  corner  stone  of  a  city,  which  they  called  Zion,  of  whose  future  pros- 
perity and  magnificence,  many  marvelous  revelations  were  made  by  the 
Prophet.  Its  streets  were  to  be  paved  with  gold  ;  all  that  escaped  the  general 
destruction,  which  was  soon  to  take  place,  would  there  assemble  with  all 
their  wealth,  and  they  were  to  be  joined  by  the  ten  lost  tribes  of  Israel. 

Both  this  establishment  and  that  at  Kirtland,  continued  to  flourish.  On 
the  opening  of  the  year  1833,  "  the  gift  of  tongues"  made  its  appearance 
among  the  Mormons.  They  had  long  before  professed  to  be  fully  endowed 
with  the  power  of  healing  all  manner  of  diseases,  discovering  spirits  and  cast- 
ing out  devils,  to  have  revelations  from  Heaven,  and  personal  intercourse  with 
God  and  his  angels.  This  gift  was  not  confined  to  the  elders  and  high  priests, 
but  nearly  all  the  proselytes,  both  old  and  young,  could  show  their  faith  by 
speaking  with  "tongues."  A  specimen  of  this  language,  as  it  fell  from  the 
lips  of  the  Prophet  himself,  upon  a  sacramental  occasion,  is  subjoined  from 
the  narrative  of  a  seceding  Mormon.  • 

Ak  man,  oh  son,  oh  man,  ah  ne  commene  en  holle  goste,  en  esac  milkea,  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel, 
Nephi,  Lehi,  St  John. 

This  language  was  for  several  months,  spoken  almost  daily,  while  they 
were  about  their  common  avocations,  as  wen  as  when  they  were  assembled 
for  worship.  It  was  claimed  that  it  could  never  be  understood  except  a 
supernatural  power  was  given  at  the  instant  to  some  one  present  to  inter- 
pret  it. 

By  the  year  1833,  the  Mormons  numbered,  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri, 
about  twelve  hundred  souls.  They  had  a  newspaper  at  Independence,  a  mer- 
cantile house,  which  they  called  the  "  Lord's  store,"  and  several  mechanic 
shops.  The  people  of  the  county  became  alarmed  lest  the  Mormons  should 
deprive  them  of  their  civil  rites,  and  the  enmity  which  had  arisen,  ensued  in 
an  open  rupture.  On  the  23d  of  July,  a  meeting  of  about  three  hundred  per- 
sons was  held  at  Independence,  with  the  avowed  object  of  driving  the  Mor- 
mons from  the  county.  They  issued  an  address,  in  which  they  stated  that 
the  Mormons  were  fast  increasing,  "  with  a  gradual  falling  off  of  their  char- 
acters, until  they  had  nearly  reached  the  low  condition  of  the  black  popula- 


FRONTIER  LIFE -NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  339 

.ion  :  that  the  citizens  were  daily  told  that  they  were  to  be  cut  off  and  their 
lands  appropriated  to  the  Mormons  tor  inheritances ;  that  they  sometimes  said 
this  was  to  be  accomplished,  either  by  the  destroying  angel,  or  by  their  own 
power,  under  the  direction  of  God."  They  feared,  "that  should  this  popula- 
tion continue  to  increase,  they  would  soon  have  all  the  offices  in  the  county 
in  their  hands;  and  that  the  lives  and  property  of  the  other  citizens  would  be 
insecure  under  the  administration  of  men  who  are  so  ignorant  and  supersti- 
tious as  to  believe  that  they  have  been  the  subjects  of  supernatural  and  mi- 
raculous cures,"  &c.  They  further  stated  that  one  of  the  means  resorted  to 
by  the  Mormons  to  drive  them  to  emigrate,  was  an  indirect  invitation  to  the 
free  brethren  of  color  in  Illinois,  to  come  like  the  rest  to  the  land  of  Zion. 
They  resolved  that  no  Mormon  should,  in  future,  settle  in  the  county — that 
those  there  should  give  a  pledge  to  remove  within  a  reasonable  time.  That 
the  Mormon  press  should  be  discontinued,  and  their  store  and  shops  closed. 
They  finished  by  appointing  a  committee  to  wait  upon  the  Mormon  leaders, 
and  inform  them  of  their  intentions.  Obtaining  no  satisfaction,  they  secured 
the  type  and  press  of  the  newspaper,  and  destroyed  the  building. 

Atter  this,  the  Mormons  agreed  to  leave  the  county,  one  half  by  the  1st  of 
January,  and  the  remainder  by  the  1st  of  April.  In  the  latter  part  of  Octo- 
ber, the  citizens  concluding  that  the  Mormons  did  not  intend  to  fulfill  their 
stipulation,  attacked  one  of  their  settlements  in  the  county,  unroofed  several 
houses,  and  beat  some  of  the  men.  At  night,  they  attacked  the  "Lord's 
store"  and  the  dwelling  of  its  keeper  in  Independence.  Within  a  day  or  two 
after,  the  several  parties  resorted  to  fire-arms,  and  one  Mormon  and  two  citi- 
zens were  killed.  A  majority  of  the  Mormons  were  finally  compelled  to  cross 
the  Missouri  River  into  Clay  County,  where  they  made  the  town  of  Liberty 
their  head-quarters.  They  were  here  joined  by  their  Prophet  Smith,  and  a 
larger  part  of  the  Mormons  from  Kirtland.  That  settlement  had  received  a 
fatal  blow  from  the  failure  of  their  bank,  an  unchartered  and  illegal  institu- 
tion, which  had  issued  heavy  loans,  and  was  ruined  for  want  of  legal  power 
to  collect  its  debts. 

Difficulties  arising  with  the  people  of  Clay  County,  the  Mormons  removed 
their  head-quarters  to  what  is  now  Caldwell,  then  part  of  Ray  County,  and 
founded  the  town  of  Far  West.  Settlements  were  also  made  by  them  at 
Diahmond,  in  Davis  County,  at  Dewitt,  in  Carrol  County,  and  at  other  points. 
At  these  places,  large  numbers  of  them  soon  gathered,  rapidly  improving  town 
and  county. 

Things  went  on  well  for  awhile,  until  at  last  dissensions  broke  out  among 
them ;  part  of  them  made  and  circulated  counterfeit  coin,  to  which  others  ob- 
jected. At  length,  some  of  the  members  deserted,  and  were  driven  from  the 
county  with  threats  of  death  if  they  should  return.  Some  of  them,  it  is  said, 
stole  from  the  Missourians,  while  the  latter,  it  is  stated,  could  obtain  no  re- 
dress, having  to  go  before  a  Mormon  justice  or  jury,  where  the  injured  party 
always  had  to  pay  the  costs,  with  the  Mormons  abusing  them  for  bringing 
"  vexatious  law  suits." 

Supposing  the  main  body  of  the  Mormons  to  have  been  upright,  there  can 
be  no  question,  but  that  they  had  among  them  a  large  number  of  worthless 
characters,  who  joined  them  for  the  better  effecting  iniquitous  projects.  — 
The  Mormons  also  held  two  views,  which  alarmed  and  excited  the  frontier 
population.  One  was,  that  the  west  was  given  them  by  the  Lord  as  their 
sole  inheritance,  and  that,  through  his  aid,  they  should  eventually  drive  out 
and  utterly  destroy  all  the  unconverted  dwellers,  "  the  Gentiles,"  of  the  land. 
The  other  was,  that  the  Mormon  Bible  taught  that  the  Indians  descended 
from  the  Hebrews,  and  their  ultimate  restoration  to  their  share  in  the  inherit- 


340  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

ance  of  the  faithful  ;  from  this,  the  frontiersmen,  many  of  whom  bad  bravely 
fought  against  the  Indians  in  settling  the  country,  anticipated  a  union  of  the 
Mormons  and  the  savages  in  a  war  of  extermination  against  them.  Looking 
with  suspicion  upon  the  new  sect,  and  believing  them  all  to  be  arrant  rogues 
and  thieves,  they  became  opposed  to  their  possession  of  the  chief  political  in- 
fluence. 

At  an  election  in  the  ensuing  August,  in  Daviess  County,  where  their  right 
of  suffrage  was  disputed,  a  general  quarrel  and  fight  took  place  among  the 
Mormons  and  the  citizens,  in  which  a  Mormon  was  stabbed  and  several  of 
each  party  wounded.  This  precipitated  matters,  and  both  parties,  in  the 
ensuing  fall,  commenced  hostilities.  The  Mormons  arming  to  the  number  of 
several  hundred,  burnt  the  towns  of  Gallatin  and  Millport,  and  dividing  into 
small  parties,  ravaged  the  country,  and  commenced,  it  is  said,  burning  farm 
houses  and  driving  out  the  women  and  children,  during  a  severe  snow  storm ; 
destroyed  their  property  or  took  it  to  the  "  Lord's  Store."  Skirmishes  en- 
sued between  them  and  the  Missourians,  in  which  many  of  both  parties  were 
killed.  In  an  action  at  Horn's  Mill,  eight  Missourians  were  wounded,  and 
about  twenty-five  Mormons  killed,  and  thirty  wounded. 

Governor  Boggs  ordered  out  four  thousand  five  hundred  militia  to  quell 
these  disturbances,  thirty-five  hundred  of  whom,  under  Gen.  Lucas,  arrived 
at  Far  West.  On  the  approach  of  this  formidable  body,  the  Mormons,  to 
the  number  of  eleven  hundred,  surrendered  and  laid  down  their  arms,  and  six 
of  their  leaders,  their  Prophet  included,  delivered  themselves  up  as  hostages. 
The  leaders  were  imprisoned  and  tried  on  the  various  charges  of  treason, 
murder,  burglary,  larceny,  arson,  &c.  The  mass  of  the  unhappy  people  were 
stripped  of  their  property  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  war,  and  driven,  men, 
women  and  children,  naked  and  starving,  in  mid  winter,  from  the  State.  Mul- 
titudes of  them  were  forced  to  encamp  without  tents  and  with  scarce  any 
clothes  or  food,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  which  was  too  full  of  ice  for 
them  to  cross.  Several  women  and  children,  too  feeble  to  sustain  such  intense 
sufferings,  perished. 

The  people  of  Illinois  sympathizing  with  their  sufferings,  received  them 
with  great  kindness.  From  thence  the  Mormons  sent  missionaries  through- 
out the  country  to  ask  relief,  and  to  unfold  to  the  world  the  "  persecutions 
they  had  undergone  for  the  cause  of  religion."  They  finally  selected  the  site 
of  the  village  of  Commerce,  on  the  Mississippi,  as  their  place  of  residence, 
where,  in  the  spring  of  1840,  they  founded  the  city  of  Nauvoo.  In  the  ensu- 
ing winter,  the  legislature  of  Illinois  granted  them  extraordinary  powers.  The 
city  laws  were  to  be  paramount  to  the  laws  of  the  State,  enormous  privileges 
were  granted  fb  the  mayor,  and  an  Agricultural  Manufacturing  Company,  a 
University,  and  a  Hotel,  with  a  capital  of  $150,000  were  chartered.  Under 
this  extraordinary  act,  Joseph  Smitn,  the  Prophet,  who  had  escaped  from  the 
custody  of  the  Missouri  officers,  proceeded  to  act  as  Mayor,  General  of  the 
Nauvoo  Legion,  and  keeper  of  the  Nauvoo  Hotel. 

In  1842  '43,  the  city  council  of  Nauvoo  passed  the  following  laws:  A 
law,  making  it  imprisonment  for  life  for  any  person,  with  or  without  process, 
to  attempt  to  arrest  the  Prophet  for  any  offense  growing  out  of  the  Missouri 
difficulties:  a  law,  making  it  penal  to  even  one  nundred  dollars  fine  and  six 
months'  imprisonment,  for  any  officer  to  serve  a  process  in  Nauvoo  without 
the  indorsed  signature  of  the  Mayor. 

Under  these  laws  difficulties  ensued.  A  party  arose  among  them,  opposed 
to  the  Prophet,  who  established  a  newspaper,  the  "Nauvoo  Expositor," 
which  became  so  obnoxious  to  the  ruling  party  that  they,  through  an  order  of 
the  Common  Council  of  the  city,  destroyed  the  press  as  a  nuisance.  A  warrant 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  341 

was  thereupon  issued  against  Smith  and  others  for  a  riot.  Previous  to  this? 
difficulties  had  occurred  at  Nauvoo,  officers  who  had  been  sent  thither  with 
process  to  be  served,  having  been  forcibly  obstructed  under  the  city  laws  above 
described. 

The  people  of  the  vicinity  became  excited  at  this  opposition  to  the  State 
authorities,  and  determined  that  the  warrants  should  be  executed  even  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet.  In  June  of  1844,  some  three  thousand  militia  from  the 
adjacent  county,  with  bands  from  Missouri  and  Iowa,  assembled  in  the  vicinity 
of  Nauvoo.  Governor  Ford  being  apprised  of  this,  hastened  to  the  scene  of 
action  to  allay  the  storm  and  prevent  bloodshed.  On  the  24th,  Gen.  Joseph 
Smith  the  Prophet,  and  his  brother,  Gen.  Hiram  Smith,  having  received  as- 
surances of  protection  from  the  Governor,  surrendered  themselves  in  accor- 
dance with  the  demands  of  a  process,  which  had  been  previously  issued.  The 
Prophet  also  gave  orders  for  all  the  arms  of  the  Nauvoo  Legion  to  be  sur- 
rendered, which  was  peaceably  accomplished.  The  Smiths  were  committed 
to  prison  at  Carthage  to  await  their  trial  for  treason. 

After  the  surrender  of  their  arms  by  the  Nauvoo  Legion,  "  they  submitted," 
says  Governor  Ford  in  his  address  to  the  people  of  Illinois,  "  to  the  command 
of  Capt.  Singleton,  of  Brown  County,  deputed  for  that  purpose  by  me.  All 
these  things  were  required  to  satisfy  the  old  citizens  of  Hancock  that  the 
Mormons  were  peaceably  disposed,  and  to  allay  jealousy  and  excitement  in 
their  minds.  It  appears,  however,  that  the  compliance  of  the  Mormons  with 
every  requisition  made  upon  them,  failed  of  that  purpose." 

On  the  evening  of  the  27th  of  June,  the  guard  of  the  jail  at  Carthage  were 
surprised  by  an  armed  mob  of  some  two  hundred  men,  completely  disguised, 
who  overpowered  them,  broke  down  the  door,  and  rushed  into  the  room  of 
the  prisoners,  h'red  at  random,  severely  wounding  Taylor,  editor  of  the  Nauvoo 
Neighbor,  and  instantly  killing  the  two  Smiths.  The  Mormons,  who  appear 
to  have  ascribed  these  murders  to  persons  in  Missouri,  remained  quiet,  and 
the  great  body  of  the  militia  returned  to  their  homes. 

In  September  1845,  the  old  settlers  of  Hancock  County  determined  to  drive 
the  Mormons  from  the  State,  and  as  a  means  to  that  end,  they  commenced 
burning  the  farm-houses  of  the  Mormons  scattered  throughout  the  county. 
The  latter,  in  general,  submitted  with  little  or  no  resistance.  The  Mormons 
at  Nauvoo,  becoming  convinced  that  they  could  not  dwell  in  peace  with  the 
neighboring  settlers,  were  compelled  to  agree  to  emigrate  beyond  the  settled 
parts  of  the  United  States  in  the  following  spring.  Their  advance  party 
crossed  the  Mississippi  the  last  of  February,  on  their  vt&y  beyond  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  They  were  followed  by  the  greater  part  of  the  remainder  in  the 
course  of  the  ensuing  spring  and  summer,  although  at  the  commencement  of 
September,  there  were  some  few  remaining  in  the  city.  Between  these  and 
the  Anti-Mormons  fresh  difficulties  arose.  The  latter  armed  themselves  to 
the  number  of  about  sixteen  hundred,  and  about  the  middle  of  the  month 
marched  toward  Nauvoo,  with  the  avowed  intention  of  carrying  it  by  storm, 
and  burning  the  temple,  taking  with  them  for  that  purpose,  cannon,  and  all 
the  necessary  munitions  of  war.  The  Mormons  went  out  to  defend  their 
city,  and  several  skirmishes  en?ued,  in  which  numbers  were  killed  and 
wounded  on  both  sides.  At  this  stage  of  affairs,  a  deputation  of  citizens  of 
Quincy  undertook  the  part  of  mediators,  the  result  of  whuh  was  that  the 
Mormons  gave  up  their  arms  and  left  the  city,  and  crossed  the  Mississippi 
en  route  to  join  their  brethren.  On  the  16th  of  September,  the  Anti-Mor- 
mons took  possession  of  Nauvoo.  The  city  looked  desolate,  and  all  around 
were  immense  fields  of  corn,  which  were,  eventually,  left  to  rot  upon  the 
ground,  none  being  at  hand  to  gather  the  harvest.  The  sufferings  of  the 


342  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

poor  Mormons,  ere  they  found  a  new  home  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
are  elsewhere  detailed.  Previous  to  leaving  Illinois,  they  numbered  in  Nau- 
voo  and  vicinity  over  twenty  thousand. 

The  Mormons  were  at  that  time  divided  into  three  factions  ;  the  Twelveites, 
the  Strangites,  and  the  Rigdonites.  The  Twelveites  compose  the  main  body 
who  have  settled  the  new  territory  of  Deseret ;  the  Strangites  have  various 
settlements,  their  head-quarters  being  Beaver  Island,  near  Mackinaw.  Their 
leader,  Strang,  originally  a  young  lawyer  of  western  New  York,  claimed  to 
have  received!  a  revelation  from  God,  appointing  him  as  the  successor  of  the 
Prophet  Smith.  The  Rigdonites  are  the  followers  of  Sidney  Rigdon,  and 
are  but  few  ia  number. 


THE  HUNTER'S  ESCAPE. 

THOSE  who  have  not  experienced  them,  can  have  but  inaccurate  ideas  of 
the  terrible  storms  that  at  times  prevail  in  the  plains  and  mountains  of  the 
Far  West ;  and  of  the  sufferings  that  they  often  bring  upon  the  unfortunate 
emigrants  and  hunters  that  come  within  the  region  of  their  influence.  A 
traveler  describes  one  of  unusual  severity,  which  he  encountered  in  the  winter 
of  1846-'7,  near  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Pueblo  Fort,  on  the  head-waters  of  the  Arkansas,  and  in  which,  as  will  be 
seen  in  the  following  narration,  he  narrowly  escaped  perishing. 

As  we  were  now  within  twenty  miles  of  the  Pueblo  Fort,  Morgan,  who 
had  enough  of  it,  determined  to  return,  and  I  agreed  to  go  back  with  the  ani- 
mals to  the  cache,*  and  bring  in  the  meats  and  packs.  I  accordingly,  tied  the 
blanket  on  a  mule's  back,  and  leading  the  horse,  trotted  back  at  once  to  the 
grove  of  cotton-woods,  where  we  before  had  encamped. 

The  sky  had  been  gradually  overcast  with  leaaen  colored  clouds,  until 
when  near  sunset,  it  was  one  huge  inky  mass  of  rolling  darkness.  The  wind 
had  suddenly  lulled,  and  an  unnatural  calm,  which  so  surely  heralds  a  storm 
in  these  tempestuous  regions,  succeeded.  The  ravens  were  winging  their  way 
toward  the '  shelter  of  the  timber,  and  the  coyote  or  prairie  wolf  was  seen 
trotting  quickly  to  cover,  conscious  of  the  coming  storm.  The  black  threat- 
ening clouds  seemed  gradually  to  descend  until  they  kissed  the  earth,  and  al- 
ready the  distant  mountains  were  hidden  to  their  very  bases.  A  hollow  mur- 
muring swept  through  the  bottom,  but,  as  yet,  not  a  branch  was  stirred  by  the 
wind ;  and  the  huge  cotton-woods,  with  their  leafless  limbs,  loomed  like  a 
line  of  ghosts  through  the  heavy  gloom. 

Knowing  but  too  well  what  was  coming,  I  turned  my  animals  toward  the 
timber,  about  two  miles  distant.  With  pointed  ears,  and  actually  trembling 
with  fright,  they  were  as  eager  as  myself  to  reach  the  shelter;  but  before  we 
had  proceeded  a  third  of  the  distance,  with  a  deafening  roar,  the  tempest 
broke  upon  us.  The  clouds  opened,  and  drove  right  in  our  faces  a  storm  of 
freezing  sleet,  which  froze  as  it  fell.  The  first  squall  of  wind  carried  away 
my  cap,  and  the  enormous  hail-stones  beating  on  my  unprotected  head  and 
face,  almost  stunned  me.  In  an  instant  my  hunting-shirt  was  soaked,  and,  as 
instantly,  frozen  hard,  and  my  horse  was  a  mass  of  icicles.  Jumping  oft'  my 
mule, — for  to  ride  was  impossible — I  tore  off  the  saddle-blanket  and  covered 
my  head.  The  animals,  blinded  with  the  sleet,  and  their  eyes  actually  coated 

*  The  cache  is  a  hiding-place,  usually  a  deep  pit  in  the  ground,  carefully  covered  over  in  some 
easily  again  discovered  locality,  in  which  the  hunters  and  trappers  conceal  their  furs  and  provision! 
from  the  Indians  aud  the  wild  beasts,  until  such  times  as  they  are  wanted. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  343 

with  ice,  turned  their  tails  to  the  storm,  and  blown  before  it,  made  for  the 
open  prairie.  All  my  exertions  to  drive  them  to  the  shelter  of  the  prairie 
were  useless.  It  was  impossible  to  face  the  hurricane,  which  now  brought 
with  it  clouds  of  driving  snow ;  and  perfect  darkness  soon  set  in.  Still  the 
animals  kept  on,  and  I  determined  not  to  leave  them,  following,  or  rather  be- 
ing blown  after  them.  My  blanket,  frozen  stiff  like  a  board,  required  all  the 
strength  of  my  numbed  fingers  to  prevent  it  from  being  blown  away,  and  al- 
though it  was  no  protection  against  the  intense  cold,  I  knew  it  would,  in 
some  degree,  shelter  me  at  night  from  the  snow. 

In  half  an  hour,  the  ground  was  covered  with  snow  on  the  bare  prairie  to 
the  depth  of  two  feet,  and  through  this  I  floundered  for  a  long  time,  before 
the  animals  stopped.  The  prairie  was  as  bare  as  a  lake ;  but  one  little  tuft 
of  greasewood  bushes  presented  itself,  and  here,  turning  from  the  storm,  they 
suddenly  stopped  and  remained  perfectly  still.  In  vain  I  again  attempted  to 
turn  them  toward  the  direction  of  the  timber ;  huddled  together  they  would 
not  move  an  inch ;  and  exhausted  myself,  and  seeing  nothing  before  me  but,  as 
I  thought,  certain  death,  I  sank  down  immediately  behind  them,  and  covering 
my  head  with  the  blanket,  crouched  like  a  ball  in  the  snow.  I  would  have 
started  myself  for  the  timber,  but  it  was  pitchy  dark ;  the  wind  drove  clouds 
of  frozen  snow  into  my  face,  and  the  animals  had  so  turned  about  in  the 
prairie,  that  it  was  impossible  to  know  the  direction  to  take ;  and  although  I 
had  a  compass  with  me,  my  hands  were  so  frozen  that  I  was  utterly  unable, 
after  repeated  attempts,  to  unscrew  the  box  and  consult  it.  Even  had  I 
reached  the  timber,  my  situation  would  scarcely  have  been  improved,  for  the 
trees  were  scattered  wide  about  over  a  narrow  space,  and  consequently  afforded 
but  little  shelter;  and  even  if  I  had  succeeded  in  getting  firewood — by  no 
means  an  easy  matter  at  any  time,  and  still  more  difficult  now  that  the  ground 
was  covered  with  three  feet  of  snow — I  was  utterly  unable  to  use  my  flint  and 
steel  to  procure  a  light,  since  my  fingers  were  like  pieces  of  stone,  and  en- 
tirely without  feeling. 

The  way  the  wind  roared  over  the  prairie  that  night — how  the  snow  drove 
before  it,  covering  me  and  the  poor  animals  partly — and  how  I  lay  there, 
feeling  the  very  blood  freezing  in  my  veins,  and  my  bones  petrifying  with  the 
icy  blasts  which  seemed  to  penetrate  them — how,  for  hours,  I  remained  with 
my  head  on  my  knees,  and  the  snow  pressing  it  down  like  a  weight  of  lead, 
expecting  every  instant  to  drop  into  a  sleep  from  which  I  knew  it  was  impos- 
sible I  should  ever  awake — how  every  now  and  then  the  mules  would  groan 
aloud  and  fall  down  upon  the  snow,  and  then  again  struggle  on  their  legs — 
how  all  night  long  the  piercing  howl  of  wolves  was  borne  upon  the  wind, 
which  never,  for  an  instant,  abated  its  violence  during  the  night — I  will 
not  attempt  to  describe.  I  have  passed  many  nights  alone  in  the  wilderness, 
and  in  a  solitary  camp,  have  listened  to  the  roarings  of  the  wind  and  the 
howling  of  wolves,  and  felt  the  rain  or  snow  beating  upon  me  with  perfect 
unconcern ;  but  tfiis  night  threw  all  my  former  experiences  into  the  shade,  and 
is  marked  with  the  blackest  of  stories  in  the  memoranda  of  my  journeyings. 

Once,  late  in  the  night,  by  keeping  my  hands  buried  in  the  breast  of  my 
hunting-shirt,  I  succeeded  in  restoring  sufficient  feeling  into  them  to  enable  me 
to  strike  a  light.  Luckily  my  pipe,  which  was  made  out  of  a  huge  piece  of 
cotton-wood  bark,  and  capable  of  containing,  at  least,  twelve  ordinary  pipe- 
fulls,  was  filled  with  tobacco  to  the  brim ;  and  this,  I  do  believe,  kept  me 
alive  during  the  night,  for  I  smoked  and  smoked,  until  the  pipe,  itself,  caught 
fire  and  burned  completely  to  the  stem. 

I  was  just  sinking  into  a  dreamy  stupor,  when  the  mules  began  to  shake 
themselves,  and  sneeze  and  snort ;  which  hailing  as  a  good  sign,  and  that  they 
43 


344  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

were  still  alive,  I  attempted  to  lift  my  head  and  take  a  view  of  the  weather. 
When,  with  great  difficulty,  I  raised  my  head,  all  appeared  as  dark  as  pitch, 
and  it  did  not  at  first  occur  fo  me  that  1  was  buried  deep  in  snow ;  but  when 
I  thrust  my  arm  above  me,  a  hole  was  thus  made,  through  which  I  saw  the 
stars  shining  in  the  sky  and  the  clouds  fast  clearing  away.  Making  a  sudden 
attempt  to  straighten  my  almost  petrified  back  and  limbs,  I  rose,  but,  unable 
to  stand,  fell  forward  in  the  snow,  frightening  the  animals,  which  immediately 
started  away.  When  I  gained  my  legs,  I  found  that  day  was  just  breaking, 
a  long,  gray  line  of  light  appearing  over  the  belt  of  timber  on  the  creek,  and 
the  clouds  gradually  rising  from  the  east,  and  allowing  the  stars  to  peep  from 
patches  of  the  blue  sky.  Following  the  animals  as  soon  as  I  gained  the  use 
of  my  limbs,  and  taking  a  last  look  at  the  perfect  cave  from  which  I  had 
just  arisen,  I  found  them  in  the  timber,  and,  singular  enough,  under  the  very 
tree  where  we  had  cached  our  meat.  However,  I  was  unable  to  ascend  the 
tree  in  my  present  state,  and  my  frost-bitten  fingers  refused  to  perform  their 
offices ;  so  that  I  jumped  upon  my  horse,  and,  followed  by  the  mules,  gal- 
loped back  to  the  Arkansas,  which  I  reached  in  the  evening,  half  dead  with 
hunger  and  cold. 

The  hunters  had  given  me  up  for  lost,  as  such  a  night  even  the  "  oldest  in- 
habitants" had  never  witnessed.  My  late  companion  had  reached  the  Ar- 
kansas, and  was  safely  housed  before  it  broke,  blessing  his  lucky  stars  that  he 
had  not  gone  back  with  me.  The  next  morning  he  returned  and  brought  in 
the  meat ;  while  I  spent  two  days  in  nursing  my  frozen  fingers  and  feet,  and 
making  up  in  feasting  mountain  fashion  for  the  hardships  I  had  suffered. 


THE  INDIANS  OF  THE  GREAT  PRAIRIE  WILDERNESS. 

THERE  are  about  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  thousand  Indians  inhabiting 
the  Great  Prairie  Wilderness  (see  page  239),  of  whose  social  and  civil  condi- 
tion, manners  and  customs,,  we  give  a  brief  account.  First,  we  speak  of  those 
who  reside  in  the  Indian  Territory,  six  hundred  miles  north  and  south,  and 
extending  along  the  frontiers  of  the  western  states — which  immense  tract  has 
been  purchased  of  the  wild  tribes  by  the  U.  S.  Government,  for  a  permanent 
abiding-place  for  the  emigrating  Indians  of  the  settled  part  of  the  Union — as 
a  spot  where  they  could  be  free  from  those  contaminating  influences  that  con- 
spired to  their  ruin  while  residing  near  the  settlements  of  the  wrhites.  It  is 
an  admirable  location  for  this  purpose  ;  its  soil  is  generally  exceedingly  fertile, 
with  excellent  water,  fine  timber  on  the  streams,  mines  of  iron  and  lead  ore 
and  coal.  Thither,  for  the  last  forty  years,  the  Government  has  been  induc- 
ing the  Indians  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the  States,  to  emigrate,  until  near 
eighty  thousand  have  moved  on  to  the  lands  thus  assigned  them. 

Government  has  been  very  liberal  to  them.  It  purchases  the  land  which 
the  emigrating  tribes  leave — gives  them  others  within  the  new  territory  ;  trans- 
ports them  ;  erects  a  portion  of  their  dwellings;  plows  and  fences  a  portion  of 
their  fields ;  furnishes  them  teachers  of  agriculture  and  implements  of  husbandry, 
horses,  cattle,  &c. ;  erects  school-houses,  and  supports  teachers  in  them  the  year 
round  ;  and  makes  provision  for  the  subsistence  of  the  new  emigrants,  and  uses 
every  effort  for  the  promotion  of  their  moral  and  physical  welfare. 

Considering  that  the  ordinary  system  of  government,  of  chieftaincies  among 
the  tribes,  prolific  of  evil,  the  United  States  use  all  the  means  in  their  power 
to  abolish  them — making  the  rulers  elective — establishing  a  form  of  govern- 
ment in  each  tribe  similar  to  our  State  Governments,  and  endeavoring  to  unite 
the  tribes  under  a  General  Government,  like  that  at  Washington.  Accordingly 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  345 

a  beautiful  spot,  centrally  situated,  has  been  selected  on  Osage  River,  about 
seven  miles  square,  sixteen  miles  distant  from  the  Missouri  line,  as  a  suitable 
place  for  the  central  government.  Any  member  of  those  tribes  that  comes  into 
the  confederation,  may  own  property  in  the  District  and  no  other. 

The  Choctaws  number  about  twenty  thousand,  which  includes  six  hundred 
negro  slaves  and  two  hundred  white  men,  married  to  Choctaw  women.  They 
reside  in  the  extreme  south  of  the  territory,  on  a  tract  capable  of  producing 
most  abundant  crops  of  corn,  flax,  hemp,  tobacco,  cotton,  &c.,  and  sustaining 
a  population  as  dense  as  that  of  England.  They  are  improving  in /comfort 
and  civilization,  have  fine  farms,  well  stocked,  cotton  gins,  looms,  flouring 
mills,  &c.  They  have  a  written  constitution  similar  to  that  of  the  United 
States,  which  divides  the  government  into  four  departments — legislative,  ex- 
ecutive, judicial  and  military,  together  with  a  National  Assembly,  which  meets 
annually  on  the  first  Monday  in  October.  The  Chickasaws,  numbering  fifty- 
five  hundred,  including  their  slaves,  are  merged  in  the  Choctaws,  and  are 
wealthy  from  the  sales  of  their  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi,  to  the  United 
States.  They  have  a  large  fund  applicable  to  various  objects  of  civilization, 
ten  thousand  dollars  of  which  is  annually  applied  to  education,  and  the  Choc- 
taws also  have  six  thousand  dollars  annually  applied  to  the  same  object. 

The  Cherokees,  including  nine  hundred  slaves,  number  twenty-two  thou- 
sand. The}r,  like  the  above,  own  fine  farms,  with  lead  mines  and  salt  works, 
where  they  manufacture  one  hundred  bushels  of  salt  per  day,  and  have  a  form 
of  government  similar  to  the  Choctaws.  Their  dwellings  are  log,  with  fre- 
quently stone  chimneys  and  plank  floors,  and  furnished  as  well  as  those  of 
settlers  in  the  new  countries;  and  they  have  good  taverns  for  the  accommo- 
dation  of  strangers.  Their  form  of  government  is  similar  to  the  above,  and 
their  permanent  school  fund  amounts  to  $200,000.  In  1850,  they  had  no  less 
than  twenty-two  different  schools,  where  over  a  thousand  children  were  taught 
the  common  branches,  including  history.  Of  these,  one  hundred  and  twenty 
were  orphans,  who  were  boarded  and  clothed  at  the  expense  of  the  Orphans' 
Fund. 

The  Creeks  number  twenty-two  thousand  five  hundred,  including  three 
hundred  and  ninety-three  slaves:  included  with  them  are  sixteen  hundred 
Seminoles.  In  point  of  civilization  and  educational  advantages,  their  situa- 
tion is  similar  to  the  Choctaws  and  Cherokees,  though  their  form  of  civil 
government  is  less  perfect. 

The  Senecas,  and  Shawnees  with  them,  number  four  hundred  and  sixty-one, 
and  are,  in  a  measure,  civilized, — speak  good  English,  and  live  in  as  much 
comfort  as  the  others  spoken  of.  The  other  emigrated  tribes,  are  the  Potta- 
vvatomies  ;  the  lowas;  the  Weas;  the  Piankashaws;  the  Peorias  and  Kaskas 
kias ;  the  Ottawas;  the  Shawnees;  the  Delawares ;  the  Kickapoos  and  the 
Wyandots;  the  Sacs  and  Foxes;  none  of  which,  with  the  exception  of  the 
two  first  named,  number  one  thousand  souls.  They  are  all,  however,  more 
or  less  civilized,  and  receive  the  annuities  from  the  general  government. 

There  is  scarcely  anything  the  Indian  tribes  have  Rencounter  so  seriously 
fatal  to  their  improvement  as  intemperance ;  of  this  they  are  conscious  them- 
selves, and  most  of  the  emigrant  tribes  have  adopted  measures  for  its  prohibi- 
tion with  various  degrees  of  success.  Among  the  Choctaws  a  law  was  passed 
upon  this  subject,  which  was  measurably  successful ;  and  the  spirit  which 
effected  its  passage  was  worthy  of  the  most  exalted  state  of  civilization.  It 
seems  that  the  tribe  had  generally  become  sensible  of  the  pernicious  influ- 
ences of  strong  drink  upon  their  prosperity,  and  had,  in  vain,  attempted  vari- 
ous plans  for  its  suppression.  At  last,  a  council  of  the  head  men  of  the  na- 
tion was  convened,  and  they  passed  a  law  by  acclamation,  that  each  and  any 


346  HISTORICAL  EVENTS-REMARKABLE  ADVENTURES, 

individual  who  should,  henceforth,  introduce,  ardent  spirits  into  the  nation, 
should  be  punished  with  a  hundred  lashes  on  his  bare  back.  The  council 
adjourned,  but  the  members  soon  began  to  canvass  among  themselves  the  per- 
nicious consequences  which  might  result  from  the  protracted  use  of  whisky 
already  in  the  shops,  and,  therefore,  concluded  the  quicker  it  was  drank  up, 
the  more  promptly  the  evil  would  be  over,  so  falling  to,  in  less  than  two  hours 
Bacchus  never  mustered  a  drunker  troop  than  were  these  same  temperance 
legislators.  The  consequences  of  their  determination  were  of  lasting  impor- 
tance to  them.  The  law,  with  some  slight  improvements,  has  since  been 
vigorously  enforced. 

There  are  about  22,000  Indians,  of  native  tribes,  who  reside  in  the  Indian 
Territory,  and  who  receive  annuities  from  the  United  States.  They  are  the 
Pawnees,  the  Sioux,  the  Quapaws,  the  Kanzas,  Otoes,  Omahoes,  and  the 
Ponsars.  The  Pawnees  number  10,500,  and  the  Osages,  5,500;  the  others 
are  much  less  in  number,  and  all  are  in  a  degraded  condition. 

These  are  the  native  and  emigrant  Indians  within  the  Indian  Territory, 
with  their  several  conditions  and  circumstances  briefly  stated.  It  should  be 
mentioned,  however,  that  one  or  more  of  the  emigrant  tribes  have  a  newspaper 
among  them,  and  that  interspersed  through  them  are  many  devoted  mission- 
aries of  different  denominations,  who,  amid  more  or  less  of  privation,  are 
laboring  with  all  zeal  for  the  promotion  of  their  temporal  and  spiritual 
welfare. 

The  other  Indians  in  the  Great  Prairie  Wilderness,  will  be  briefly  noticed 
under  two  divisions — those  living  South,  and  those  living  North  of  the  Great 
Platte  River. 

South  of  the  Great  Platte,  are  no  tribes  of  note  out  of  New  Mexico, 
except  the  Camanches,  who  number  about  20,000.  They  are  a  warlike  tribe 
and  unexcelled  as  horsemen.  Like  the  Arabs  of  the  desert,  they  never  reside 
but  a  few  days  in  a  place ;  but  travel  north  with  the  buffalo,  in  summer,  and, 
when  winter  comes  on,  return  with  them  to  the  plains  of  Texas. 

North,  of  the  Great  Platte  or  Nebraska  River,  are  the  remains  of  fifteen  or 
twenty  tribes,  who  average  about  800  each.  The  Sioux  and  the  small  pox 
have  thus  reduced  them.  In  the  upper  Mississippi  country  are  the  Sioux  and 
Chippewas,  both  very  powerful  tribes.  (See  page  437.) 

Inhabiting  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  vicinity  are  the  Shoshonees  or  Snakes, 
the  Arrapahoes,  the  Crows,  and  the  Blackfeet.  The  two  last  named  are  very 
warlike.  The  Blackfeet,  in  1828,  numbered  15,000  souls,  when,  having 
stolen  a  blanket,  that  year,  from  the  American  Fur  Company's  steamboat  on 
the  Yellow  Stone,  one  which  had  belonged  to  a  man  who  had  died  of  the 
small -pox  on  board,  the  infected  article  spread  the  disease  among  the  whole 
tribe,  and  reduced  their  number  to  two-thirds. 

In  conclusion,  we  remark  that  none  of  the  native  tribes  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi are  as  brave  and  warlike  as  those  which  inhabited  the  older  states  of 
the  Union,  as  the  Wyandots,  the  Shawnees,  the  Creeks,  the  Seminoles,  the 
Cherokees,  and  the  Iroquois.  Nor,  in  general,  do  they  burn  their  prisoners, 
or  inilict  upon  them  protracted  tortures. 

They  endeavored,  for  awhile,  to  bury  the  dead,  but  these  were  soon  more 
numerous  than  the  living.  At  last,  those  left  alive  fled  to  the  mountains,  mad 
with  superstition  and  fear,  where  the  pure  air  of  the  elevated  vales  restored 
the  remainder  of  the  tribe  to  health.  But  this  infliction,  which  they  believed 
to  be  an  exhibition  of  the  displeasure  of  the  Great  Spirit  against  them,  has  in 
nowise  humanized  their  blood-thirsty  nature. 


FRONTIER  LIFE— NATURAL  CURIOSITIES,  ETC.  347 


EFFECT  OF  SETTLEMENT  ON  THE  CLIMATE  OF  THE  WEST. 

GREAT  changes  have  taken  place  in  the  system  of  weather,  since  the  set- 
tlement of  the  western  country,  yet  those  changes  have  been  so  gradual,  that 
it  is  no  very  easy  task  to  recollect,  or  describe  them.  At  the  first  settlement 
of  the  country,  the  summers  were  much  cooler  than  they  are  at  present.  For 
many  years  a  single  warm  night  rarely  occurred  during  the  whole  summer. 
The  evenings  were  cool,  and  the  mornings  frequently  uncomfortably  cold. 
The  coldness  of  the  nights  was  owing  to  the  deep  shade  of  the  lofty  forest 
trees,  which  everywhere  covered  the  ground.  In  addition  to  this,  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth  was  still  further  shaded  by  large  crops  of  wild  grass,  and 
weeds,  which  prevented  it  from  becoming  heated  by  the  rays  of  the  sun  dur- 
ing the  day.  At  sundown,  the  air  began  to  become  damp  and  cool,  and  con- 
tinued to  increase  in  coldness,  until  warmed  by  the  sunshine  of  the  succeed- 
ing day.  This  wild  herbage  afforded  pasture  for  the  cattle  and  horses,  from 
spring  until  the  onset  of  winter.  To  enable  the  owner  to  find  his  beasts,  the 
leader  of  each  flock  of  cattle,  horses  and  sheep,  was  furnished  with  a  bell 
suspended  to  the  neck  by  a  leathern  or  iron  collar.  Bells,  therefore,  consti- 
tuted a  considerable  article  of  traffic  in  early  times.  ^ 

One  distressing  circumstance  resulted  from  the  wild  herbage  of  the  wilder- 
ness. It  produced  innumerable  swarms  of  gnats,  musquitoes,  and  horse-flies. 
Those  distressing  insects  gave  such  annoyance  to  man  and  beast,  that  they 
may  justly  be  ranked  among  the  early  plagues  of  the  country.  During  that 
part  of  the  season  in  which  they  were  prevalent,  they  made  the  cattle  poor, 
and  lessened  the  amount  of  their  milk.  In  plowing,  they  were  very  distress- 
ing to  the  horses.  It  was  customary  to  build  large  fires  of  old  logs  about  the 
forts,  the  smoke  of  which  kept  the  flies  from  the  cattle,  which  soon  learned 
to  change  their  position,  with  every  change  of  wind,  so  as  to  keep  themselves 
constantly  in  the  smoke. 

The  summers,  in  early  times,  were  mostly  very  dry.  The  want  of  rain 
was  compensated  in  some  degree,  by  heavy  dews,  which  were  then  more 
common  than  of  late,  owing  to  the  shaded  situation  of  the  earth,  which  pre- 
vented it  from  becoming  either  warm  or  dry,  by  the  rays  of  the  sun,  during 
even  the  warmest  weather. 

Frost  and  snow  set  in  much  earlier,  in  former  times,  than  of  late.  Hunt- 
ing snows  usually  commenced  about  the  middle  of  October.  November  was 
regarded  as  a  winter  month,  as  the  winter  frequently  set  in  with  severity 
during  that  month,  and  sometimes  at  an  early  period  of  it.  For  a  long  time 
after  the  settlement  of  the  country  there  was  an  abundance  of  snow,  in  com- 
parison to  the  amount  we  usually  have  now..  It  was  no  unusual  thing  to 
nave  snows  from  one  to  three  feet  in  depth,  and  of  long  continuance,  in  the 
valley  of  the  Ohio.  The  depth  of  the  snows,  the  extreme  cold  and  length  of 
the  winters,  were  indeed  distressing  to  the  first  settlers,  who  were  but  poorly 
provided  with  clothing,  and  whose  cabins  were  mostly  very  open,  and  un- 
comfortable. Getting  wood,  making  fires,  feeding  the  stock,  and  going  to 
mill  were  considered  sufficient  employment  for  any  family,  and  truly  those 
labors  left  them  little  time  for  anything  else. 

The  springs  were  formerly  somewhat  colder,  and  accompanied  with  more 
snow  than  they  are  now,  but  the  change,  in  these  respects,  is  no  way  favor- 
able  to  vegetation,  as  the  latest  springs  are  uniformly  followed  by  the  most 
fruitful  seasons.  It  is  a  law  of  the  vegetable  world  that  the  longer  the  vege- 
tative principle  is  delayed,  the  more  rapid  when  put  in  motion.  Hence  those 


348  HISTORICAL  EVENTS— REMARKABLE   ADVENTURES, 

northern  countries  which  have  but  a  short  summer,  and  no  spring,  are  among 
the  most  fruitful  countries  in  the  world.  In  Russia,  Sweden,  and  Denmark, 
the  transition  from  winter  to  summer,  occupies  but  a  very  few  days ;  yet  a 
failure  of  a  crop  in  those  countries  is  but  a  rare  occurrence :  while  in  these 
latitudes,  vegetation  prematurely  put  in  motion,  and  then  often  checked  "by 
the  lagging  rear  of  winter's  frost,"  frequently  fails  of  attaining  its  ultimate 
perfection. 

From  this  history  of  the  system  of  the  weather  of  early  times,  it  appears 
that  the  seasons  have  already  undergone  great  and  important  changes.  The 
summers  are  much  warmer,  the  falls  much  milder  and  longer,  and  the  winters 
shorter,  by  at  least  one  month,  and  accompanied  with  much  less  snow  and 
cold  than  "formerly .  What  causes  have  effected  these  changes  in  the  system 
of  weather,  and  what  may  we  reasonably  suppose  will  be  the  ultimate  extent 
of  this  revolution,  already  so  apparent? 

In  all  countries,  the  population  of  a  desert  by  a  civilized  and  agricultural 
people,  has  had  a  great  effect  on  its  climate.  Italy,  which  is  now  a  warm 
country,  with  very  mild  winters,  was  in  the  time  of  Horace  and  Virgil,  as 
cold  and  as  subject  to  deep  snows,  as  the  western  country  was  at  its  first 
settlement.  Philosophy  has  attributed  the  change  of  the  seasons,  in  that 
country,  to  the  clearing  of  its  own  forests,  together  with  those  of  France  to 
the  north,  and  those  of  Germany  to  the  east  and  north  of  Italy.  The  same 
cause  has  produced  the  same  effect  in  our  country.  Every  acre  of  cultivated 
land,  must  increase  the  heat  of  our  summers,  by  .augmenting  the  extent  of  the 
surface  of  the  ground  denuded  of  its  timber,  so  as  to  be  acted  upon,  and  heated 
by  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

The  future  prospect  of  the  weather  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the  west- 
ern country  is  not  very  flattering.  The  thermometer  in  the  hottest  parts  of 
the  summer  months  already  ranges  from  ninety  to  one  hundred  degrees.  A 
frightful  degree  of  heat  for  a  country  as  yet  but  partially  cleared  of  its  native 
timber  1  When  we  consider  the  great  extent  of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi, 
so  remote  from  any  sea  to  furnish  its  cooling  breezes,  without  mountains  to 
collect  the  vapors,  augment  and  diversify  the  winds,  and  watered  only  by  a 
few  rivers,  which  in  the  summer  time  are  diminished  to  a  small  amount  of 
water,  we  have  every  data  for  the  unpleasant  conclusion  that  the  climate 
of  the  western  regions  will  ultimately  become  intensely  hot  and  subject  to  dis- 
tressing calms  and  droughts  of  long  continuance. 

Already  we  begin  to  feel  the  effects  of  the  increase  of  the  heat  of  summer 
in  the  noxious  effluvia  of  the  stagnant  water  of  the  ponds  and  low  grounds 
along  the  rivers.  These  fruitful  sources  of  pestilential  exhalations  have  con- 
verted large  tracts  of  country  into  regions  of  sickness  and  death ;  while  the 
excessive  heat  and  dryness  of  the  settlements  remote  from  the  larger  water 
courses,  have  been  visited  by  endemic  dysenteries  in  their  most  mortal  states. 
Thus  the  most  fortunate  regions  of  the  earth  have  drawbacks  from  their  ad- 
vantages which  serve,  in  some  degree,  to  balance'the  condition  of  their  inha- 
bitants with  that  of  the  people  of  countries  less  gifted  by  nature  in  point  of 
soil,  climate,  and  situation. 

The  conflict  for  equilibrium  between  the  rarified  air  of  the  south  and  the 
dense  atmosphere  of  the  north,  will  continue  forever  the  changeable  state  of 
weather  in  this  country,  as  there  is  no  mountainous  barrier  between  us  and 
the  northern  regions  of  our  continent. 


Bancroft  Library 


• 


HISTORICAL 


AND 


DESCRIPTIVE    SKETCHES,   ETC 


TEXAS. 

TEXAS  is  an  Indian  word  signifying  "  Friends."  This  country  was  first 
settled  by  M.  La  Salle  [see  page  61]  in  1685,  who  took  formal  possession  in 
the  name  of  the  French  Monarch,  and  built  a  small  fort  at  the  head  of  Mata- 
gorda  Bay.  The  colony  was  soon  broken  up  by  the  savages.  In  the  mean- 
time, intelligence  of  the  founding  of  this  settlement  having  reached  Mexico, 
a  military  force  was  sent  by  the  Viceroy  to  drive  out  the  French ;  but  on  its 
arrival  the  colonists  had  disappeared.  In  1690,  the  Spaniards  founded,  two 
small  missions,  and,  in  1692,  commenced  their  first  settlement  at  San  Antonio 
de  Bexar. 

After  the  settlement  of  Louisiana,  in  1699,  the  French  assumed  nominal 
possession  of  the  territory  as  far  west  as  the  Bay  of  Matagorda.  Hostilities 
arose  between  them  and  the  Spaniards,  who  established  several  posts  in  the 
eastern  part  of  Texas,  and  drove  out  the  French.  The  conflicting  claims  of 
the  two  nations  to  Texas,  were  temporarily  settled  by  the  treaty  of  1763,  in 
which  France  ceded  to  Spain  all  of  Louisiana  west  of  the  Mississippi.  In 
1800,  Spain  having  ceded  Louisiana  back  to  France,  left  the  question  again 
open  as  to  the  rightful  claim  to  the  country.  In  1803,  Louisiana  having  been 
ceded  by  France  to  the  United  States,  transferred  to  the  American  nation  the 
same  claim  to  Texas,  which,  however,  was  never  enforced. 

In  1810,  at  the  commencement  of  the  first  Mexican  Eevolution,  Texas  had 
not  any  settlements  of  note,  except  those  of  San  Antonio  de  Bexar,  Goliad 
and  ISlacogdoches.  In  the  interior  were  a  few  Spanish  forts  and  missions, 
around  each  of  which  were  a  small  number  of  miserable  Indian  converts. 
Some  of  these  missionary  establishments,  each  consisting  of  a  massive  stone 
fortress  and  a  church,  still  remain  with  their  walls  almost  entire. 

The  Mexicans  seem  not  so  desirous  to  occupy  this  country  as  to  keep  it  a 
desolate  waste,  to  form  an  impassable  barrier  between  them  and  their  Anglo- 
Saxon  neighbors,  toward  whom  and  other  civilized  nations,  their  jealousy 
was  so  strong,  that  they  enacted  a  law  making  it  death  for  a  foreigner  to  enter 
any  of  the  Spanish  provinces  without  a  license  from  the  Spanish  King. 
Hence,  until  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  Revolution,  Texas  re- 
mained almost  wholly  unknown  to  the  Americans. 

In  1812,  Dons  Guttierez  and  Toledo,  officers  of  the  Revolutionists,  formed 
a  project  to  invade  the  eastern  provinces  of  Mexico,  with  the  aid  of  Ameri- 
can volunteers.  They  succeeded  in  raising  a  force  of  about  four  hundred 
and  fifty  men,  near  one  half  of  whom  were  Americans  from  the  south-western 
States,  and  the  remainder  French,  Spaniards  and  Italians :  they  were  led  by 
44  (353) 


354  HISTORICAL   AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

officers  Magee,  Kemper,  Locket,  Perry  and  Ross.  Crossing  the  Sabine, 
they  routed  a  body  of  royalists  near  Nacogdoches,  and  took  possession  of 
Goliad.  In  the  following  winters  (1812-'13),  they  were  besieged  by  two 
thousand  Spaniards.  The  Revolutionists  sallied  from  the  town,  and  routexf 
the  Spaniards  with  a  loss  of  about  four  hundred  in  killed  and  wounded.  The 
latter  retreated,  and  were  again  defeated  near  Bexar,  to  which  they  retreated 
and  soon  after  surrendered.  Twelve  of  the  principal  Spanish  officers,  after 
their  surrender,  were  secretly  massacred  by  Guttierez,  which,  becoming 
known  to  the  Americans,  most  of  them  with  Kemper  at  their  head,  abandoned 
the  service  in  disgust. 

The  invaders,  thus  reduced  in  numbers,  remained  at  Bexar.  In  June,  a 
Spanish  army  of  four  thousand  men  having  approached  toward  the  place,  the 
garrison  advanced  against  them,  and  routed  them  four  miles  west  of  the  town, 
with  a  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  nearly  equal  to  their  own  number. 

Guttierez  having  been  removed  from  the  supreme  command,  as  a  punish- 
ment for  his  agency  in  the  massacre,  he  was  succeeded  by  Toledo,  when 
Kemper  returned  to  Bexar  from  the  United  States  with  four  hundred  Ameri- 
cans. In  August,  an  army  of  several  thousand  strong  advanced  toward  the 
place.  The  garrison,  one  thousand  one  hundred  in  number,  marched  out 
nine  miles  to  the  Medina  River,  and  gave  them  battle.  They  drove  the  ene- 
my to  their  intrenchments,  where  half  their  force  was  in  reserve,  when  a 
heavy  fire  being  poured  in  upon  them  the  Mexican  Revolutionists  fled,  and  the 
Americans,  after  a  desperate  resistance,  were  nearly  all  killed  in  the  battle,  or 
captured  in  the  subsequent  flight  toward  the  American  frontier.  This  total 
defeat  for  five  years  suspended  the  Mexican  Revolutionary  struggle  in  Texas. 

After  this  event,  the  United  States,  acting  upon  stcictly  neutral  principles 
toward  the  contending  parties  in  Mexico,  interposed  its  authority,  and  pre- 
vented hostile  expeditions  from  crossing  the  frontiers.  Individuals  in  small 
parties,  however,  visited  Texas,  and  brought  back  with  them  glowing  descrip- 
tions of  its  fertility  and  resources.  To  accommodate  privateers  under  the 
Mexican  flag,  the  Revolutionists  formed  stations  at  Matagorda,  Galveston  and 
other  points,  which,  becoming  piratical  establishments,  were  broken  up  by  the 
United  States. 

The  war  in  Mexico  called  "  the  first  revolution,"  after  a  duration  of  eight 
years,  terminated  in  favor  of  the  Royalists.  "  The  second  revolution  "  was 
commenced  in  1821,  by  the  Mexican  General,  Iturbide,  under  whom  the 
Mexicans  achieved  their  independence  of  Spain.  Iturbide  made  himself  a 
Monarch  ;  but  the  people  wishing  for  a  republic,  deposed  and  banished  him, 
and,  on  his  return,  had  him  executed.  Another  leader  arose,  Santa  Anna, 
under  whose  auspices  a  federal  constitution  was  formed  in  1824,  by  which 
Mexico,  like  our  republic,  was  divided  into  States,  with  each  a  legislature, 
and  over  the  whole  a  general  government. 

The  treaty  of  1819,  by  which  Spain  ceded  Florida  to  the  United  States, 
established  the  Sabine  as  the  western  boundary  of  Louisiana. 

Moses  Austin,  a  native  of  Durham,  Connecticut,  applied  for,  and  recei'-vu 
in  1819,  a  grant  of  land  in  Texas  to  plant  a  colony.  The  Spanish  aniaori- 
ties  in  Mexico,  desirous  of  defense  against  the  fierce  and  hostile  Camanches, 
had,  contrary  to  their  usual  policy,  made  laws  favoring  American  emigration, 
on  the  condition,  however,  that  the  emigrants  should  become  Catholics,  and 
teach  the  Spanish  language  in  their  schools. 

Moses  Austin  dyin^,  his  son,  Stephen,  carried  out  his  plans,  and  founding 
a  colony  between  the  Brazos  and  Colorado,  thus  became  the  leader  of  Ameri- 
can colonization  in  Texas.  Austin's  enterprise  being  joined  by  others,  his 
colony  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Mexican  clergy.  They  found  that 


SKETCH   OF  TEXAS.  355 

the  law  which  required  the  settlers  to  make  oath  that  they  were  Catholics, 
and  to  establish  Spanish  schools,  had  been  regarded  by  them  as  an  unmean- 
ing formality;  and  they  felt  the  utmost  alarm  at  a  colony  of  foreign  heretics 
being  planted  among  them,  and  desired  that  they  should  either  submit  to  the 
law  or  be  routed  out.  Fresh  jealousies  arose  in  consequence  of  the  futile  at- 
tempts made  by  a  few  of  the  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  Nacogdoches,  in  1826, 
to  throw  off  the  Spanish  yoke,  and  establish  a  republic  by  the  name  of  Fre- 
donia  :  this  ill-feeling  was  further  increased  by  propositions  made  from  time 
to  time  by  the  United  States  to  purchase  Texas.  In  whatever  was  done,  the 
Mexicans  fancied  some  plot  against  them,  in  which  the  American  nation  at 
large  was  concerned.  They  even  surmised  that  the  settlers  in  Texas  were 
sent  but  as  a  cover  to  a  concealed  purpose  of  the  American  authorities  to  take 
their  territory  and  destroy  their  nationality. 

Texas,  under  the  constitution  of  1824,  was  united  in  one  state  with  tne  ad- 
jacent province  of  Coahuila.  The  Spanish  Mexicans  of  this  province  out- 
voted and  pursued  an  oppressive  policy  against  the  Texans.  In  1833,  Stephen 
F.  Austin  was  sent  to  the  city  01  Mexico  to  petition  against  these  grievances, 
and  for  the  privilege  of  forming  Texas  into  a  separate  State.  Being  treated 
with  neglect  by  the  Mexican  Congress,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Texans  advis- 
ing them,  at  all  events,  to  proceed  in  forming  a  separate  State  government. 
This  letter  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Mexican  authorities,  he  was  made 
prisoner  while  returning,  carried  back  to  Mexico,  and  thrown  into  a  dungeon. 

Meanwhile  the  crafty  Santa  Anna  subverting  the  constitution  of  1824,  be- 
came a  military  tyrant,  and  to  direct  attention  from  his  lawless  acts,  com- 
menced a  series  of  oppressions  directed  against  the  Texans;  and  placing  the 
civil  rulers  there  in  subjection  to  the  military.  In  1835,  Austin  having  re- 
turned from  his  imprisonment  in  Mexico,  vigilance  committees  were  appointed 
throughout  the  country,  and  the  people  were  resolved  to  insist  upon  their 
rights  under  the  constitution.  At  this  time,  the  population  of  Texas  was 
near  20,000,  of  whom  scarce  3000  were  Mexicans. 

Appeals  were  made  through  the  press  to  the  Texan  people,  and  arrange- 
ments were  set  on  foot  to  raise  men  and  money  for  the  purpose  of  defending 
themselves  against  a  threatened  invasion  by  Santa  Anna.  'The  first  hostile 
movement  of  the  Mexicans  was  directed  against  the  town  of  Gonzalez.  One 
thousand  Mexicans  having  been  sent  there  to  demand  a  field-piece,  the  Texans, 
on  the  2d  of  Octr.,  1835,  attacked  and  drove  them  from  the  ground  with 
loss.  On  the  8th  of  October,  Goliad  was  taken  by  the  Texans  with  valuable 
munitions.  On  the  28th,  ninety-two  Texans  under  Cols.  Bowie  and  Fannin 
defeated  four  hundred  Mexicans,  below  Bexar,  with  a  loss  of  nearly  one  hun- 
dred in  killed  and  wounded ;  the  Texan  loss  being  simply,  one  killed. 

In  November  the  Texan  Convention  of  Delegates  assembled  at  San  Felipe, 
issued  a  declaration  of  rights,  and  established  a  provisional  government. 
Henry  Smith  was  chosen  governor,  and  Samuel  Houston,  commander-in-chief. 

On  the  llth  of  December,  five  hundred  Texans,  after  a  bloody  siege  and 
assault,  took  the  strong  fortress  of  the  Alamo  and  the  city  of  San  Antonio  de 
Bexar.  This  was  a  gallant  enterprise:  the  Mexicans  numbered  1000  regular 
troops  under  Gen.  Cos.  Almost  every  house  was  in  itself  a  fortress,  each 
being  built  of  stone,  with  walls  three  feet  in  thickness.  The  bulk  of  the  gar- 
rison was  posted  in  the  public  square,  the  approaches  to  which  were  strongly 
fortified  by  breastworks  mounted  with  artillery.  At  three  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  5th  of  December,  Col.  Neil  with  two  hundred  men  commenced 
a  false  attack  upon  the  Alamo;  while  with  three  hundred  volunteers,  the 
heroic  Milam,  the  projector  of  the  plan  about  to  be  described,  having  pro- 
vided his  men  with  crowbars  and  other  forcing  implements,  effected  an  en- 


356  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

trance  into  the  suburbs,  and  amidst  a  heavy  shower  of  grape-shot  and  mus- 
ketry, took  possession  of  two  houses.  For  four  days  the  Texans  bravely 
maintaining  their  position  continued  to  advance  from  one  point  to  another, 
breaking  a  passage  through  the  stone  walls  of  the  houses  and  opening  a  ditch 
and  throwing  up  a  breastwork,  where  they  were  otherwise  unprotected,  while 
every  street  was  raked  by  the  enemy's  artillery.  On  the  third  day  of  the 
assault,  the  gallant  Milam  received  a  rifle-shot  in  his  head,  but  otherwise 
their  loss  was  trifling,  while  that  of  the  enemy  was  severe,  as  the  rifle  brought 
them  down  as  often  as  they  showed  their  faces  at  a  loop-hole.  On  the  fourth 
day,  the  Mexicans  were  reinforced  by  three  hundred  men.  On  the  following 
night,  the  Texans  penetrated  to  a  building  which  commanded  the  public 
square ;  but  ere  the  daylight  dawned  to  give  them  the  benefit  of  rifle  practice, 
the  Mexicans  hauled  down  their  black  and  red  flag  which  had  been  waving 
from  the  Alamo  during  the  contest,  in  token  of  no  quarter,  and  sent  in  a  flag 
of  truce  to  signify  their  desire  to  surrender. 

Unhappily,  at  this  time  divisions  prevailed  in  the  Texan  councils,  and  no 
adequate  force  had  been  raised  to  oppose  Santa  Anna,  who,  in  February,  ap- 
peared before  Bexar  with  an  overwhelming  force.  On  their  appearance,  the 
Texan  force,  numbering  only  one  hundred  and  fity  men,  under  William  B. 
Travis,  retired  to  the  Alamo,  where  were  a  few  pieces  of  artillery.  The 
enemy  encircled  the  Alamo  with  intrenched  encampments  and  kept  up  a  con- 
tinued bombardment  for  several  days. 

With  the  exception  of  thirty-two  volunteers  from  Gonzalez,  who  made 
their  way  into  the  fort  on  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  March,  no  succor  arrived 
to  the  garrison,  whose  physical  energies  were  worn  down  by  constant  watch- 
ing, but  whose  resolution  was  unsubdued.  In  the  language  of  the  heroic 
Travis,  they  were  determined  "never  to  surrender,  nor  retreat."  In  the 
meantime,  the  reinforcements  of  the  enemy  had  increased  to  4000  strong,  and 
humiliated  at  being  baffled  by  less  than  two  hundred  men  in  a  two  weeks' 
siege  to  reduce  a  poorly-fortified  place,  Santa  Anna,  after  midnight  on  the  6th 
of  March,  surrounded  the  Alamo,  determining  to  carry  it  by  storm  at  any 
cost. 

They  advanced  amid  the  discharge  of  musketry  and  cannon,  and  were  twice 
repulsed  in  their  attempts  to  scale  the  walls.  A  third  attempt  was  made  by 
the  exertions  of  their  officers,  when  borne  onward  by  those  in  their  rear,  the} 
tumbled  over  the  walls  "like  sheep."  Then  commenced  the  last  struggle  of 
the  garrison.  Travis  received  a  shot  as  he  stood  on  the  walls  cheering  his 
men.  As  he  fell,  a  Mexican  officer  rushed  forward  to  dispatch  him,  when 
Travis  summoning  his  failing  powers  for  a  last  effort,  met  his  assailant  with 
an  upward  thrust  of  his  sword,  and  they  both  expired  together.  Unable  from  the 
crowd  and  for  want  of  time  to  load,  the  Texans  clubbed  their  rifles  and  con- 
tinued to  fight  and  resist  until  life  had  ebbed  out  through  numberless  wounds, 
and  the  enemy  had  conquered  the  Alamo,  but  not  its  heroic  defenders.  They 
perished  but  yielded  not;  one  only  remained  to  ask  fo.  quarter,  which  was 
denied  him  by  the  unrelenting  enemy.  Total  extermination  succeeded,  and 
the  darkness  of  death  reposed  over  the  memorable  Alamo.  Of  all  the  persons 
in  the  place,  Mrs.  Dickerson  and  her  child  and  a  negro,  were  alone  spared. 

The  storming  lasted  less  than  an  hour.  Major  Evans  was  shot  while  set- 
ting fire  to  the  magazine  according  to  the  order  of  Travis.  David  Crockett 
was  found  dead  surrounded  by  a  pile  of  the  enemy,  who  had  fallen  beneath 
his  powerful  arm.  Col.  Bowie  (the  inventor  of  the  Bowie  knife),  who  was 
connned  by  sickness,  was  murdered  in  his  bed.  The  enemy,  exasperated  to 
the  highest  degree  by  this  desperate  resistance,  treated  the  bodies  with  brutal 
indignation.  Santa  Anna,  when  the  body  of  Major  Evans  was  pointed  out 


SKETCH   OF  TEXAS.  357 

to  him,  drew  his  dirk  and  stabbed  it  twice  in  the  breast.  Gen.  Cos  with  his 
sword  mangled  the  face  and  limbs  of  the  heroic  Travis  with  the  malignancy 
of  a  savage.  The  bodies  were  finally  stripped,  thrown  into  a  heap,  and  bu- 
ried. The  loss  of  the  Mexicans  on  this  occasion,  has  been  variously  estimated 
at  from  1000  to  1500  men.  Never  in  the  world's  history  had  defense  been 
more  heroic ;  it  has  scarce  been  equaled,  save  at  the  Pass  of  Thermopylae. 

On  the  2d  of  March,  1836,  the  Texan  delegates  assembled  at  Washington, 
unanimously  agreed  to  a  declaration  of  independence,  and  constituted  Texas 
an  independent  republic.  •  On  the  17th  of  the  same  month,  they  adopted  a 
Constitution,  and  appointed  David  G.  Burnett,  Provisional  President. 

While  Santa  Anna  was  concentrating  his  forces  at  San  Antonio  de  Bexar, 
another  division  of  the  forces  under  Gen.  Urrea,  proceeded  along  the  line  of 
the  coast.  Col.  Fannin,  then  at  Goliad,  learning  of  the  advance  of  the  Mexi- 
can army,  sent  fourteen  men  about  twenty-five  miles  distant,  under  Capt. 
King,  to  remove  some  families  to  a  place  of  safety.  They  lost  their  way  in 
the  prairie  and  were  taken  prisoners  and  shot  by  Urrea.  Col.  Fannin  having 
received  no  tidings  from  King,  sent  out  Col.  Ward  with  a  larger  detachment, 
who  falling  in  with  the  enemy,  had  two  engagements  with  him ;  in  the  last, 
overwhelmed  by  numbers,  he  was  obliged  to  surrender. 

On  the  18th,  Fannin's  force  being  reduced  to  two  hundred  and  seventy-five 
men,  he  left  Goliad  and  commenced  retreating  toward  Victoria ;  and  on  that 
afternoon  was  overtaken  on  a  prairie  and  surrounded  by  the  Mexican  infantry, 
and  some  Indian  allies.  The  Texans,  arranging  themselves  in  a  hollow  square, 
successfully  repelled  all  charges.  At  dusk,  the  Indians,  by  command  of  Urrea, 
threw  themselves  upon  the  ground,  and  under  cover  of  the  tall  grass  crawled 
up  and  poured  in  a  destructive  fire  upon  the  Texans.  As  soon  as  it  was  suf- 
ficiently dark  to  discern  the  flashes  of  their  guns,  the  Texans  soon  picked 
them  off  and  drove  them  back.  The  Mexicans  withdrew  and  encamped  for 
the  night,  having  lost  about  five  hundred  men.  The  Texan  loss  was  seven 
killed,  and  about  sixty  wounded. 

The  Texans  threw  up  a  breastwork  during  the  night ;  but  when  morning 
dawned,  discovered  that  their  labor  had  been  useless,  for  Urrea  was  joined 
by  five  hundred  fresh  troops  with  artillery.  Upon  this,  Fannin  seeing  the 
inutility  of  farther  resistance  against  an  army  ten  times  his  superior,  surren- 
dered on  condition  that  they  should  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war.  The 
Texans  were  marched  back  to  Goliad,  where,  with  the  prisoners  of  Ward's 
detachment,  they  numbered  four  hundred  men.  In  a  few  days  orders  were 
received  from  Santa  Anna  for  their  execution,  which,  on  the  morning  of  the 
27th  of  March  were  obeyed;  four  surgeons  and  three  laborers  only  being 
spared. 

Escorted  by  a  strong  Mexican  guard,  they  were  marched  out  from  their 
quarters  under  various  pretexts,  and  after  advancing  a  few  hundred  yards,  were 
ordered  to  halt,  throw  off  their  blankets  and  knapsacks,  and  sit  down  with 
their  backs  to  the  guard.  Ere  they  had  time  to  obey  it,  vollies  of  musketry 
were  poured  in  upon  them,  and  those  who  escaped  the  bullets,  were  cut  down 
by  the  swords  of  the  cavalry.  A  few  escaped  by  springing  over  a  brush 
fence,  and  concealing  themselves  in  a  thicket.  What  rendered  this  butchery 
more  aggravating,  was,  that  when  led  to  their  execution,  the  minds  of  the 
men  were  cheered  by  the  promise  of  being  speedily  liberated  and  sent  home. 

A  prisoner  who  escaped,  relates,  that  just  before  the  Mexicans  fired  upon, 
them,  a  young  man  named  Fenner,  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  exclaimed,  "  Boys,, 
they  are  going  to  kill  us — die  with  your  faces  to  them,  like  men!"  At  the 
same  moment,  two  other  young  men,  flourishing  their  caps  over  their  heads,, 
shouted  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  "Hurrah  for  Texas !"  Fannin,  who  wa& 


358  HISTORICAL   AND    DESCRIPTIVE 

murdered  apart  from  his  men,  requested  to  be  shot  in  the  breast,  and  not  in 
the  head.  He  tied  a  handkerchief  over  his  eyes,  and  with  his  hands  opened 
his  bosom  to  receive  the  balls.  The  next  day  he  was  seen  lying  on  the 
prairie  among  a  heap  of  the  dead,  with  the  fatal  wound  in  the  head. 

Santa  Anna  now  deemed  that  the  Texans  were  subdued.  The  bones  of  the 
greater  part  of  the  Texans,  who  had  been  distinguished  for  their  bravery, 
were  bleaching  upon  the  prairies,  and  nearly  every  sea-port  in  Texas  was 
under  Mexican  dominion. 

As  soon  as  the  fall  of  the  Alamo  and  the  butchery  of  Fannin's  men  was 
known  in  the  United  States,  a  spirit  of  stern  revenge  was  aroused  among  the 
hardy  population  of  the  west,  and  volunteers  poured  in  to  assist  in  driving 
every  Mexican  soldier  beyond  the  Rio  Grande. 

On  the  21st  of  April,  the  main  Texan  army  under  Gen.  Houston,  seven 
hundred  and  eighty-three  strong,  met  the  advance  of  the  Mexicans  under 
Santa  Anna,  1600  in  number,  near  the  San  Jacinto.  With  the  exception  of 
the  artillery,  not  a  gun  was  fired  by  the  Texans  until  they  had  come  close  to 
the  lines  of  the  enemy,  when  they  rushed  on  with  the  dreadful  war-cry, 
"  Remember  the  Alamo  /"  Driven  to  a  frenzy  of  fury  by  its  thrilling  re- 
collections, and  the  knowledge  that  the  murderers  of  Fannin's  men  were  be- 
fore them,  they  threw  themselves  with  such  a  desperate  charge  upon  the 
enemy,  that  the  Mexicans,  panic-stricken,  threw  down  their  arms  and  fled  in 
wild  dismay.  Many  of  the  poor  Mexicans,  as  they  were  overtaken  by  the 
exasperated  Texans,  would  fall  on  their  knees  and  beg  piteously  for  mercy, 
crying  in  broken  English,  "  me  no  Alamo !  me  no  Alamo  !"  The  whole 
Mexican  army  was  annihilated,  scarce  a  soldier  escaping.  Eight  hundred 
and  thirty-eight  were  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  remainder  made  prisoners. 
So  infuriated  were  the  Texans,  that  the  number  of  killed  to  the  wounded,  bore 
the  unusual  proportion  of  three  to  one.  It  was  in  fact,  a  massacre.  The 
conquerors  lost  but  eight  men  killed,  and  seventeen  wounded. 

The  next  day,  Santa  Anna  was  taken,  disguised  in  a  coarse  dress,  on  the 
banks  of  a  neighboring  bayou.  When  brought  into  the  presence  of  Houston, 
he  was  greatly  agitated  from  fear  that  his  life  would  be  taken,  and  some 
opium  was  given  to  him  to  quiet  his  nerves;  after  which,  turning  to  Houston, 
he  said,  "You  were  born  to  no  common  destiny;  you  have  conquered  the 
Napoleon  of  the  West."  A  majority  of  the  Texans  demanded  his  execution, 
for  the  murder  of  Fannin  and  his  men,  and  it  required  extraordinary  exertions 
on  the  part  of  Houston  and  his  officers,  to  preserve  him  from  their  just 
vengeance. 

As  supreme  ruler  of  Mexico,  Santa  Anna  by  a  treaty,  acknowledged  the 
independence  of  Texas  with  the  Rio  Grande  as  their  western  boundary. 
Although  the  United  States,  England,  and  other  powers,  acknowledged  her 
independence,  yet  Mexico,  through  all  her  changes  of  rulers,  ever  claimed  the 
country,  and  occasionally  sent  troops  to  renew  the  war  by  predatory  ex- 
cursions. 

Santa  Anna  meantime  procured  himself  to  be  sent  by  the  Texans  to  the 
United  States,  where  he  so  far  gained  President  Jackson's  favor,  as  to  be  re- 
turned by  him  to  Mexico,  where  disavowing  all  his  former  treaties  and  pro- 
fessions, he  again  entered  upon  a  course  of  hostilities  against  the  Texans. 

In  1841,  President  Lama r  organized  what  has  been  termed,  the  "Santa 
Fe  Expedition,"  the  object  of  which  was,  to  open  a  trade  with  Santa  Fer 
and  to  establish  Texan  authority,  in  accordance  with  the  treaty  of  Santa 
Anna,  over  all  the  territory  east  of  the  Rio  Grande.  Santa  Fejying  east  of 
that  river,  was  still  in  possession  of  the  Mexicans.  On  the  18th  of  June,  the 
«xpedition,  numbering  three  hundred  and  twenty- five  men  under  Gen.  M'Leod, 


VIEW    IX    'I  HE    KUIX.S    OF    TEE    ALAMO. 

"Never,  in  the  world's  history,  had  defense  been  more  heroic  ;  it  has  scarce  been  equaled, 
save  at  the  Pass  of  Thermopylae." 


SKETCH    OF  TEXAS.  361 

left  Austin,  the  capital  of  Texas,  and  after  a  journey  of  about  three  months, 
arrived  at  the  Spanish  settlements  in  New  Mexico.  They  were  intercepted 
by  a  vastly  superior  force,  and  surrendered  on  condition  of  their  being  allowed 
to  return ;  but  instead  of  this,  they  were  bound  with  ropes  and  leather  thongs, 
in  gangs  of  six  or  eight,  stripped  of  most  of  their  clothing,  and  marched  to 
the  city  of  Mexico,  a  distance  of  1200  miles.  On  their  route,  they  were 
treated  with  cruelty,  beaten  and  insulted ;  forced  to  march  at  times  by  night, 
as  well  as  by  day;  blinded  by  sand;  parched  by  thirst,  and  famishing  with 
hunger. 

Having  arrived  at  Mexico  in  the  latter  part  of  December,  they  were,  by  the 
orders  of  Santa  Anna,  thrown  into  filthy  prisons.  After  awhile,  part  were 
compelled  to  labor  as  common  scavengers  in  the  streets  of  the  city ;  while 
others  were  sent  to  the  stone  quarries  of  Pueblo,  where,  under  brutal  task- 
masters, they  labored  with  heavy  chains  fastened  to  their  limbs.  Of  the 
whole  number,  three  were  murdered  on  the  march ;  several  died  of  ill  treat- 
ment and  hardship.  Some  few  escaped,  some  were  pardoned,  and  nearly  all 
eventually  released. 

Soon  after  the  result  of  this  expedition  was  known,  rumors  prevailed  of  an 
intended  invasion  of  Texas.  In  September,  1842,  twelve  hundred  Mexicans 
under  Gen.  Woll,  took  the  town  of  Bexar  ;  but  subsequently  retreated  beyond 
the  Rio  Grande.  A  Texan  army  was  collected,  who  were  zealous  to  carry 
the  war  into  Mexico.  After  various  disappointments  and  the  return  of  most 
of  the  volunteers,  three  hundred  Texans  crossed  the  Rio  Grande  and  attacked 
the  town  of  Mier,  which  was  garrisoned  by  more  than  two  thousand  Mexi- 
cans strongly  posted.  In  a  dark,  rainy  night,  they  drove  in  the  guard,  and 
in  spite  of  a  constant  fire  of  the  enemy,  effected  a  lodgment  in  some  houses 
in  the  suburbs,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  deadly  rifle,  fought  their  way  into  the 
heart  of  the  place.  At  length,  Ampudia  sent  a  white  flag,  which  was  accom- 
panied by  Gen.  La  Vega  and  other  officers,  to  inform  the  Texans  of  the  utter 
hopelessness  of  resistance  against  an  enemy  ten  times  their  number.  The 
little  band  at  length  very  reluctantly  surrendered,  after  a  loss  of  only  thirty- 
five  in  killed  and  wounded,  while  the  Mexicans  admitted  theirs  to  have  been 
over  five  hundred. 

The  Texans,  contrary  to  the  stipulations,  were  marched  to  Mexico,  distant 
one  thousand  miles.  On  one  occasion,  two  hundred  and  fourteen  of  them,  al- 
though unarmed,  rose  upon  their  guard  of  over  three  hundred  men,  overpow- 
ered and  dispersed  them,  and  commenced  their  journey  homeward  ;  but  igno- 
rant of  the  country  and  destitute  of  provisions,  and  being  pursued  by  a  large 
party,  they  were  obliged  to  surrender.  Every  tenth  man  was  shot  for  this  at- 
tempt at  escape.  The  others  were  thrown  into  the  dungeons  of  Perote,  where 
about  thirty  died  of  cruel  treatment.  A  few  escaped,  and  the  remainder  were 
eventually  released. 

Early  application  was  made  by  Texas  to  be  annexed  to  the  United  States. 
Presidents  Jackson  and  Van  Buren,  in  turn,  objected  on  the  ground  of  the 
unsettled  boundary  of  Texas,  and  the  peaceful  relations  with  Mexico.  Presi- 
dent Tyler  brought  forward  the  measure,  but  it  was  lost  in  Congress.  It  hav- 
ing been  the  test  question  in  the  ensuing  presidential  election,  and  the  people 
deciding  IP  its  favor  by  the  election  of  the  democratic  candidates,  Texas  was 
annexed  to  the  Union  by  a  joint  resolution  of  Congress,  February  28th,  1845. 

The  Mexican  minister,  Almonte,  who  had  before  announced  that  Mexico 
would  declare  war  if  Texas  was  annexed,  gave  notice  that  since  America  had 
consummated  "  the  most  unjust  act  in  her  history,"  negotiations  were  at  an 
end.  From  this  and  other  causes,  followed  the  war  with  Mexico,  and  by  the 
subsequent  treaty  of  peace,  an  acknowledgment  by  that  power  of  the  indepen- 
45 


362  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

dence  of  Texas.     The  boundaries  of  Texas  were  finally  settled  with  precision 
by  act  of  Congress  in  1850,  and  that  decision  was  acquiesced  in  by  Texas. 

TEXAS,  the  most  southern  State  of  the  Union,  contains  about  270,000  square 
miles,  and  about  200,000  inhabitants.  The  general  aspect  of  the  country  is 
that  of  a  vast  inclined  plane,  gradually  sloping  from  the  mountains  eastward 
to  the  sea,  and  intersected  by  numerous  rivers  running  in  a  southeast  direction 
The  territory  is  naturally  divided  into  three  separate,  and  in  many  respects, 
different  regions. 

The  first  is  a  level  region  along  the  coast,  with  a  breadth  varying  from 
thirty  to  one  hundred  miles.  The  soil  of  this  section  is  principally  a  rich  al- 
luvion, with  scarcely  a  stone,  yet  singularly  free  from  stagnant  swamps. 
Broad  woodlands  fringe  the  banks  of  the  rivers,  between  which  are  rich  and 
extensive  pasture  lands. 

The  second  division  is  the  undulating  prairie  region,  which  extends  over 
two  hundred  miles  farther  inland,  its  wide  grassy  tracts  alternating  with  others 
that  are  thickly  timbered.  These  last  are  especially  prevalent  in  the  east, 
though  many  of  the  bottoms  and  river  valleys  elsewhere  are  woodland.  Lime- 
stone and  sandstone  form  the  common  substrata  of  at  least  the  middle  and 
southern  part  of  this  region;-^ — the  upper  soil  there  consisting  of  a  rich,  pliable 
gandy  loam.  This  region  is  capable  of  supporting  a- dense  population. 

The  third  or  mountainous  region  is  situated  principally  in  the  west  and 
northwest,  and  forms  part  of  the  Sierra  Madre  or  Mexican  Alps,  but  little  ex- 
plored and  still  unsettled.  Near  its  remote  extremity  it  consists  of  an  elevated 
table  land,  where  the  prairies  not  unfrequently  resemble  the  vast  steppes  of 
As  a.  The  mountain  sides  are  clothed  with  forests,  and  they  inclose  some 
alluvial  valleys,  which  are  susceptible  of  irrigation  and  cultivation.  The  part 
of  New  Mexico  added  to  Texas  is  not  included  in  the  preceding  description. 
On  the  west  it  is  mountainous ;  the  remainder  is  mostly  an  elevated,  sterile 
plain,  forming  a  part  of  what  is  called  the  "  Great  American  Desert." 

The  Texan  year  is  divided  into  a  wet  and  dry  season.  The  former  lasts 
from  December  to  March ;  the  latter,  the  remainder  of  the  year.  In  summer, 
the  great  heats  are  tempered  by  continual  strong  breezes  from  either  the 
elevated  table  lands  of  the  interior,  or  from  over  the  waters  of  the  Gulf,  whi^j 
continue  from  sunrise  until  three  and  four  o'clock,  P.  M. ;  and  the  nights  are 
cool  throughout  the  year.  On  the  low  lands,  near  the  coasts,  intermittents  are 
prevalent  irP  summer,  though  not  to  an  epidemic  extent.  The  surface  is  in 
m  >*!  parts  covered  with  a  luxuriant  wild  grass. 

The  climate  of  Texas  is  believed  to  be  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  that  of 
any  other  part  of  North  America  ;  the  winters  being  milder  and  the  heats  of 
summer  less  oppressive  than  in  the  northeastern  section  of  the  United  States. 
The  forests  are  destitute  of  that  rank  undergrowth  which  prevails  in  the 
wooded  districts  of  Louisiana  and  Mississippi;  and  the  level  region  is  gene- 
rally free  from  those  putrid  swamps  which  poison  the  atmosphere,  and  pro- 
duce disease  and  death.  So  delightful  is  the  temperature  in  the  greater  portion 
of  Texas  proper,  that  rheumatism -and  chronic  diseases  are  very  rare,  and 
pulmonary  consumption  almost  unknown. 

With  the  exception  of  the  apple,  almost  every  fruit  of  temperate  climates 
comes  to  perfection.  Peaches,  melons,  figs,  oranges,  lemons,  pine-apples, 
dates,  olives,  &,c.,  may  be  grown  in  different  localities.  Cotton  and  sugar 
cane  are  the  principal  agricultural  staples,  and  attain  great  perfection.  Indian 
corn  and  wheat  are  the  principal  grains  cultivated.  Sweet  and  common  pota- 
toes yield  remarkably  well.  The  rearing  of  live  stock  has  long  been  a  favor- 
ite pursuit  of  the  inhabitants  ;  and  many  of  the  prairies  are  almost  literally 
covered  with  immense  herds  of  oxen.  Horses  and  mules  abound,  and  vast 


SKETCH  OF  TEXAS.  363 

herds  of  buffalo  and  wild  horses  wander  over  the  prairies.  In  many  parts  of 
the  rolling  prairies,  excellent  coal  and  iron  ore  have  been  found.  Silver 
mines  have  been  worked  in  the  mountains.  Granite,  limestone,  gypsum  and 
slate  are  abundant  in  some  parts. 

Austin,  the  capital,  on  the  Colorado,  two  hundred  miles  from  the  sea,  has 
about  one  thousand  inhabitants.  The  other  principal  towns  have  respectively 
about  the  population  annexed.  Ba  strop,  four  hundred  ;  Brazoria,  five  hundred!; 
Corpus  Christi,  one  thousand  ;  Galveston,  five  thousand  ;  Houston,  four  thou- 
sand ;  Matagorda,  seven  hundred  ;  Nacogdoches,  one  thousand ;  San  Antonio 
de  Bexar,  one  thousand  ;  San  Augustine,  fifteen  hundred  ;  Washington,  twelve 
hundred. 


NEW  MEXICO. 

NEW  MEXICO,  of  which  Santa  Fe,  the  capital,  was  one  of  the  first  establish- 
ments, dates  among  the  earliest  settlements  made  in  North  America.  The 
name  Mexico,  in  the  Aztec  Indian  language,  signifies  the  habitation  of  the 
God  of  War.  Tradition  mentions  that  a  small  band  of  adventurers  proceeded 
thus  i'ar  north  shortly  after  the  conquest  of  Mexico  by  Cortes  ;  but  this  is  ex- 
tremely doubtful.  In  the  year  1595,  Don  Juan  de  Onate,  at  the  head  of  a 
band  of  two  hundred  soldiers,  established  the  first  legal  colony  in  the  province, 
over  which  he  was  established  as  Governor.  He  took  with  him  a  number 
of  Catholic  priests  to  establish  missions  among  the  Indians,  with  power  suffi- 
cient to  promulgate  the  gospel  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  administer 
baptism  by  the  force  of  arms.  % 

The  colony  progressed  rapidly,  settlements  extended  in  every  quarter,  and 
as  tradition  relates,  many  valuable  mines  were  discovered  and  worked.  The 
poor  Indians  were  enslaved,  and  under  the  lash,  were  forced  to  most  laborious 
tasks  in  the  mines,  until  goaded  to  desperation.  In  the  summer  of  1680,  a 
general  insurrection  of  all  the  tribes  and  Pueblos*  took  place  throughout  the 
province.  General  hostilities  having  commenced,  and  a  large  number  of  Span- 
iards massacred,  all  over  the  province,  the  Indians  laid  siege  to  the  capital, 
Santa  Fe,  which  the  Governor  was  obliged  to  evacuate  and  retreat  south 
three  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  where  the  refugees  then  founded  the  town  of 
El  Paso  del  Norte.  For  ten  years,  the  country  remained  in  possession  of  the 
Indians,  when  it  was  re-conquered  by  the  Spaniards.  In  1698,  the  Indians 
rose,  but  the  insurrection  was  soon  quelled.  After  this,  they  were  treated 
with  more  humanity,  each  Pueblo  being  allowed  a  league  or  two  of  land,  and 
permitted  to  govern  themselves.  Their  rancorous  hatred  for  their  conquerors, 
however,  never  entirely  subsided,  yet  no  further  outbreak  occurred,  until  1837. 
In  that  year,  a  revolution  took  place,  by  which  the  government  of  the  country 
was  completely  overthrown,  and  most  atrocious  barbarities  committed  by  the 
insurgents,  including  the  Pueblo  Indians.  The  Governor,  Perez,  was  savage- 
ly put  to  death,  his  head  cut  off  and  used  as  a  foot-ball,  by  the  insurgents  in 
their  camp.  The  Ex-Governor,  Abrew,  was  butchered  in  a  more  barbarous 
manner.  His  hands  were  cut  off,  his  tongue  and  eyes  were  pulled  out,  his 
enemies  at  the  same  time,  taunting  him  with  opprobrious  epithets.  The  next 
season,  Mexican  authority  was  again  established  over  the  province. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  war  with  Mexico,  in  1846,  the  President 
took  measures  for  organizing  an  "Army  of  the  West,"  the  object  of  which 
was  to  conquer  New  Mexico  and  California.  This  army  was  composed  of  one 
mounted  regiment  of  volunteers  from  Missouri,  and  a  battalion  each  of  light 

*  Pueblos    a  general  term  for  all  Catholic  Indians  of  New  Mexico,  and  also  for  their  villages. 


362  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

dence  of  Texas.     The  boundaries  of  Texas  were  finally  settled  with  precision 
by  act  of  Congress  in  1850,  and  that  decision  was  acquiesced  in  by  Texas. 

TEXAS,  the  most  southern  State  of  the  Union,  contains  about  270,000  square 
miles,  and  about  200,000  inhabitants.  The  general  aspect  of  the  country  is 
that  of  a  vast  inclined  plane,  gradually  sloping  from  the  mountains  eastward 
to  the  sea,  and  intersected  by  numerous  rivers  running  in  a  southeast  direction 
The  territory  is  naturally  divided  into  three  separate,  and  in  many  respects, 
different  regions. 

The  first  is  a  level  region  along  the  coast,  with  a  breadth  varying  from 
thicty  to  one  hundred  miles.  The  soil  of  this  section  is  principally  a  rich  al- 
luvion, with  scarcely  a  stone,  yet  singularly  free  from  stagnant  swamps. 
Broad  woodlands  fringe  the  banks  of  the  rivers,  between  which  are  rich  and 
extensive  pasture  lands. 

The  second  division  is  the  undulating  prairie  region,  which  extends  over 
two  hundred  miles  farther  inland,  its  wide  grassy  tracts  alternating  with  others 
that  are  thickly  timbered.  These  last  are  especially  prevalent  in  the  east, 
though  many  of  the  bottoms  and  river  valleys  elsewhere  are  woodland.  Lime- 
stone and  sandstone  form  the  common  substrata  of  at  least  the  middle  and 
southern  part  of  this  region  ;^the  upper  soil  there  consisting  of  a  rich,  pliable 
gandy  loam.  This  region  is  capable  of  supporting  a- dense  population. 

The  third  or  mountainous  region  is  situated  principally  in  the  west  and 
northwest,  and  forms  part  of  the  Sierra  Madre  or  Mexican  Alps,  but  little  ex- 
plored and  still  unsettled.  Near  its  remote  extremity  it  consists  of  an  elevated 
table  land,  where  the  prairies  not  unlrequently  resemble  the  vast  steppes  of 
As  a.  The  mountain  sides  are  clothed  with  forests,  and  they  inclose  some 
alluvial  valleys,  which  are  susceptible  of  irrigation  and  cultivation.  The  part 
of  New  Mexico  added  to  Texas  is  not  included  in  the  preceding  description. 
On  the  west  it  is  mountainous ;  the  remainder  is  mostly  an  elevated,  sterile 
plain,  forming  a  part  of  what  is  called  the  "  Great  American  Desert." 

The  Texan  year  is  divided  into  a  wet  and  dry  season.  The  former  lasts 
from  December  to  March ;  the  latter,  the  remainder  of  the  year.  In  summer, 
the  great  heats  are  tempered  by  continual  strong  breezes  from  either  the 
elevated  table  lands  of  the  interior,  or  from  over  the  waters  of  the  Gulf,  whi^? 
continue  from  sunrise  until  three  and  four  o'clock,  P.  M. ;  and  the  nights  are 
cool  throughout  the  year.  On  the  low  lands,  near  the  coasts,  intermittents  are 
prevalent  irf  summer,  though  not  to  an  epidemic  extent.  The  surface  is  in 
m  >-!  parts  covered  with  a  luxuriant  wild  grass. 

The  climate  of  Texas  is  believed  to  be  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  that  of 
any  other  part  of  North  America  ;  the  winters  being  milder  and  the  heats  of 
summer  less  oppressive  than  in  the  northeastern  section  of  the  United  States. 
The  forests  are  destitute  of  that  rank  undergrowth  which  prevails  in  the 
wooded  districts  of  Louisiana  and  Mississippi;  and  the  level  region  is  gene- 
rally free  from  those  putrid  swamps  which  poison  the  atmosphere,  and  pro- 
duce disease  and  death.  So  delightful  is  the  temperature  in  the  greater  portion 
of  Texas  proper,  that  rheumatism* and  chronic  diseases  are  very  rare,  and 
pulmonary  consumption  almost  unknown. 

With  the  exception  of  the  apple,  almost  every  fruit  of  temperate  climates 
comes  to  perfection.  Peaches,  melons,  figs,  oranges,  lemons,  pine-apples, 
dates,  olives,  &c.,  may  be  grown  in  different  localities.  Cotton  and  sugar 
cane  are  the  principal  agricultural  staples,  and  attain  great  perfection.  Indian 
corn  and  wheat  are  the  principal  grains  cultivated.  Sweet  and  common  pota- 
toes yield  remarkably  well.  The  rearing  of  live  stock  has  long  been  a  favor- 
ite pursuit  of  the  inhabitants ;  and  many  of  the  prairies  are  almost  literally 
covered  with  immense  herds  of  oxen.  Horses  and  mules  abound,  and  vast 


SKETCH  OF  TEXAS.  363 

herds  of  buffalo  and  wild  horses  wander  over  the  prairies.  In  many  parts  of 
the  rolling  prairies,  excellent  coal  and  iron  ore  have  been  found.  Silver 
mines  have  been  worked  in  the  mountains.  Granite,  limestone,  gypsum  and 
slate  are  abundant  in  some  parts. 

Austin,  the  capital,  on  the  Colorado,  two  hundred  miles  from  the  sea,  has 
about  one  thousand  inhabitants.  The  other  principal  towns  have  respectively 
about  the  population  annexed.  Bastrop,  four  hundred  ;  Brazoria,  five  hundred; 
Corpus  Christi,  one  thousand ;  Galveston,  five  thousand  ;  Houston,  four  thou- 
sand ;  Matagorda,  seven  hundred  ;  Nacogdoches,  one  thousand;  San  Antonio 
de  Bexar,  one  thousand  ;  San  Augustine,  fifteen  hundred ;  Washington,  twelve 
hundred. 


NEW  MEXICO. 

NEW  MEXICO,  of  which  Santa  Fe,  the  capital,  was  one  of  the  first  establish- 
ments, dates  among  the  earliest  settlements  made  in  North  America.  The 
name  Mexico,  in  the  Aztec  Indian  language,  signifies  the  habitation  of  the 
God  of  War.  Tradition  mentions  that  a  small  band  of  adventurers  proceeded 
thus  far  north  shortly  after  the  conquest  of  Mexico  by  Cortes  ;  but  this  is  ex- 
tremely doubtful.  In  the  year  1595,  Don  Juan  de  Onate,  at  the  head  of  a 
band  of  two  hundred  soldiers,  established  the  first  legal  colony  in  the  province, 
over  which  he  was  established  as  Governor.  He  took  with  him  a  number 
of  Catholic  priests  to  establish  missions  among  the  Indians,  with  power  suffi- 
cient to  promulgate  the  gospel  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  administer 
baptism  by  the  force  of  arms.  % 

The  colony  progressed  rapidly,  settlements  extended  in  every  quarter,  and 
as  tradition  relates,  many  valuable  mines  were  discovered  and  worked.  The 
poor  Indians  were  enslaved,  and  under  the  lash,  were  forced  to  most  laborious 
tasks  in  the  mines,  until  goaded  to  desperation.  In  the  summer  of  1680,  a 
general  insurrection  of  all  the  tribes  and  Pueblos*  took  place  throughout  the 
province.  General  hostilities  having  commenced,  and  a  large  number  of  Span- 
iards massacred,  all  over  the  province,  the  Indians  laid  siege  to  the  capital, 
Santa  Fe,  which  the  Governor  was  obliged  to  evacuate  and  retreat  south 
three  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  where  the  refugees  then  founded  the  town  of 
El  Paso  del  Norte.  For  ten  years,  the  country  remained  in  possession  of  the 
Indians,  when  it  was  re-conquered  by  the  Spaniards.  In  1698,  the  Indians 
rose,  but  the  insurrection  was  soon  quelled.  After  this,  they  were  treated 
with  more  humanity,  each  Pueblo  being  allowed  a  league  or  two  of  land,  and 
permitted  to  govern  themselves.  Their  rancorous  hatred  for  their  conquerors, 
however,  never  entirely  subsided,  yet  no  further  outbreak  occurred,  until  1837. 
In  that  year,  a  revolution  took  place,  by  which  the  government  of  the  country 
was  completely  overthrown,  and  most  atrocious  barbarities  committed  by  the 
insurgents,  including  the  Pueblo  Indians.  The  Governor,  Perez,  was  savage- 
ly put  to  death,  his  head  cut  off  and  used  as  a  foot- ball,  by  the  insurgents  in 
their  camp.  The  Ex-Governor,  Abrew,  was  butchered  in  a^more  barbarous 
manner.  His  hands  were  cut  off,  his  tongue  and  eyes  were  pulled  out,  his 
enemies  at  the  same  time,  taunting  him  with  opprobrious  epithets.  The  next 
season,  Mexican  authority  was  again  established  over  the  province. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  war  with  Mexico,  in  1846,  the  President 
took  measures  for  organizing  an  "  Army  of  the  West,"  the  object  of  which 
was  to  conquer  New  Mexico  and  California.  This  army  was  composed  of  one 
mounted  regiment  of  volunteers  from  Missouri,  and  a  battalion  each  of  light 

*  Pucbks    a  general  term  for  all  Catholic  Indians  of  New  Mexico,  and  also  for  their  villages. 


364  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

infantry,  dragoons  and  light  artillery.  Having  sent  forward  their  baggage  by  a 
caravan  of  Santa  Fe  traders,  the  army  left  Fort  Leavenworth  the  last  of 
June,  on  the  usual  caravan  route.  They  crossed  the  prairies  without  any 
marked  incidents,  and  entered  and  took  peaceable  possession  of  Santa  Fe,  on 
the  18th  of  August,  after  a  fifty  days'  march  of  nearly  nine  hundred  miles. 

On  their  arrival,  the  American  commander,  Gen.  Kearney,  in  accordance 
with  his  directions,  proclaimed  himself  Governor  of  New  Mexico.  "  You 
are  now,"  said  he,  "American  citizens;  you  no  longer  owe  allegiance  to  the 
Mexican  Government."  The  principal  men  then  took  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  United  States,  and  whoever  was  false  to  this  allegiance,  the  people 
were  told,  would  be  punished  as  traitors.  It  was  questioned  whether  the  Ad- 
ministration had  not  transcended  its  powers,  in  thus  annexing  a  territory  to  * 
the  Union  without  the  permission  of  Congress. 

Gen.  Kearney,  having  appointed  Charles  Bent  Governor  of  New  Mexico, 
on  the  25th  of  September,  took  a  small  force  with  him1,  and  proceeded  over- 
land to  California.  Col.  Price  arrived  soon  after  at  Santa  Fe  with  recruits. 
The  Navajo  Indians  having  commenced  hostilities  against  the  New  Mexicans, 
"  new  inhabitants  of  the  United  States,"  Col.  Doniphan,  who  had  been  left 
in  command,  set  out  westward  with  the  Missouri  regiment  to  make  peace 
with  them.  Winter  was  fast  approaching,  and  after  suffering  incredible 
hardships  in  crossing  the  heights  and  chasms  of  unexplored  mountains, 
having  lost  the  lives  of  several  of  their  men  by  frosts,  poorly  clad  as  they 
were  among  snows  and  mountain  storms,  they  finally  accomplished  their 
object. 

Capt.  Reid,  of  one  of  the  divisions  of  thirty  men,  volunteered  to  accom- 
pany Sandoval,  a  Navajo  chief,  five  days  through  mountain  heights  to  a  grand 
gathering  of  the  men  and  women  of  the  tribe.  They  were  completely  in  the 
power  of  the  Indians,  but  they  won  their  hearts  by  their  gayety  and  confi- 
dence. Most  of  them  had  never  seen  a  white  man.  Reid  and  his  com- 
panions joined  the  dance,  sung  their  country's  songs — and  what  pleased  the 
Navajoes  most,  interchanged  with  them  their  costume.  On  the  22d  of 
November,  a  treaty  was  made  in  form,  by  which  the  three  parties,  Americans, 
New  Mexicans  and  Navajoes,  agreed  to  live  in  perpetual  peace. 

By  the  middle  of  December,  Col.  Doniphan,  leaving  Col.  Price  in  com- 
mand at  Santa  Fe,  commenced  his  march  with  his  regiment  south  to  Chihua- 
hua, and,  on  his  route,  met  and  defeated  superior  forces  of  the  enemy  at  Bra- 
cito,  and  at  the  Sacramento  Pass.  * 

In  the  meantime,  the  New  Mexicans  secretly  conspired  to  throw  off  the 
yoke.  Simultaneously,  on  the  19th  of  January,  in  the  valley  of  Taos,  mas- 
sacres occurred  at  Fernandez,  when  were  cruelly  murdered,  Gov.  Bent,* 
Sheriff  Lee,  and  four  others;  at  Arroyo  Hondo,  f  five  Americans  were  killed, 

*  William  Bent  wan  one  of  those  hardy  sons  of  enterprise  with  which  our  country  abounds,  who, 
from  love  of  dangerous  adventure,  forsake  the  quiet  of  civilized  life  for  the  excitement  of  a  sojourn 
in  the  Far  West.  He  was  an  old  trader  among  the  Indians,  and  owner  of  Bent's  Fort  on  the  Ar- 
kansas. For  many  years  he  traded  on  the  Platte  and  Arkansas,  winning  golden  opinions  from  the 
poor  Indians  for  his  honesty  and  fair-dealing,  and  the  greatest  popularity  from  the  haroy  trappers 
and  mountaineers  for  his  hospitality,  his  firmness  of  character  and  personal  bravery.  From  liu 
knowledge  of  the  country  and  the  Mexican  character,  he  had  been  appointed  Governor  by  General 
Kearney  ;  and  it  was  during  a  temporary  visit  to  his  family  at  Fernandez,  some  eighty  miles  north 
of  Santa  Fe,  that  lie  was  killed,  scalped  and  mutilated  in  their  presence  by  a  mob  of  Pueblos  and 
N«-w  Mexicans. 

t  Arroyo  Hondo,  wh««  the  greatest  massacre  took  place,  was  twelve  miles  north  of  Fernandez. 
Here  Turley,  an  American,  had  a  mill  and  a  distillery.  His  establishment  was  thriving,  and  every- 
thing about  the  place  betokened  prosperity.  His  wife  was  a  Mexican,  and  rosy  children,  uniting 
the  fair  complexion  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  with  the  dark  tint  of  the  natives,  gamboled  before  his  door 
Turley  was  generous  and  kind-hearted,  and  in  times  of  scarcity,  no  Mexican  ever  in  vuiu  sought 
his  assistance.  His  granaries  were  always  open  to  the  hungry,  and  his  purse  to  the  poor. 


SKETCH  OF  NEW  MEXICO.  365 

and  a  few  others  in  the  vicinity.  Col.  Price,  on  receiving  the  intelligence, 
marched  from  Santa  Fe,  met  and  defeated  the  insurrectionists  in  several  en- 
gagements in  the  valley,  with  a  loss  of  about  three  hundred.  The  Americans 
lost  in  killed  and  wounded  about  sixty.  Fifteen  of  the  insurrectionists  were 
executed. 

The  massacre  of  Turley  and  his  people,  and  the  destruction  of  his  mill,  were  not  consummated 
without  considerable  loss  to  his  barbarous  and  cowardly  assailants.  There  were  in  the  house,  ut  the 
time  of  the  attack,  eight  white  men,  principally  American  mountaineers,  with  plenty  of  arms  and 
ammunition.  Turley  had  been  warned  of  the  intended  insurrection,  but  had  treated  the  report 
with  indifference  and  neglect,  until  one  morning  a  man  named  Otterbees,  in  the  employ  of  Turley, 
who  had  been  dispatched  on  an  errand  to  Santa  Fe,  a  few  days  before,  made  his  appearance  at  the 
gate  on  horseback,  and  hastily  informing  the  inmates  of  the  mill,  that  the  New  Mexicans  had  risen 
and  massacred  Gov.  Bent  and  other  Americans,  galloped  off.  Even  then,  Turley  felt  aasured  that 
he  would  not  be  molested,  but  at  the  solicitation  of  his  men,  agreed  to  close  the  gate  of  the  yard, 
round  which  were  the  buildings  of  a  mill  and  a  distillery,  and  make  preparations  for  defense. 

A  few  hours  after,  a  large  crowd  of  Mexicans  and  Pueblo  Indians  made  their  appearance,  all 
armed  with  guns,  and  bows,  and  arrows,  and  advancing  with  a  white  flag,  summoned  Turley  to 
surrender  his  house  and  the  Americans  in  it,  guaranteeing  that  his  own  life  should  be  saved,  but  that 
every  other  American  in  the  valley  of  Taos  had  to  be  destroyed  ;  that  the  governor  and  all  the 
Americans  at  Fernandez  and  the  ranche,  had  been  killed,  and  that  not  one  was  to  be  left  alive  in  all 
New  Mexico.  To  this  summons,  Turley  answered  that  he  would  never  surrender  his  house,  nor  his 
men,  and  that  if  they  wanted  it  or  them,  "  they  must  take  them!" 

The  enemy  then  drew  off,  and  after  a  short  consultation  commenced  the  attack.  The  first  day 
they  numbered  about  five  hundred,  but  the  crowd  was  hourly  augmented  by  the  arrival  of  parties 
of  Indians  from  the  more  distant  Pueblos,  and  of  New  Mexicans  from  Fernandez,  La  Canada  and 
other  places.  The  building  lay  at  the  foot  of  a  gradual  slope  in  the  Sierra,  which  was  covered  with 
cedar  bushes.  In  front  ran  the  stream  of  the  Arroyo  Hondo,  about  twenty  yards  from  one  side  of 
the  square,  and  on  the  other  side  was  broken  ground,  which  rose  abruptly  and  formed  the  bank  of 
the  ravine.  In  the  rear  and  behind  the  still-house,  was  some  garden  ground  inclosed  by  a  small 
fence,  and  into  which  a  small  wicket  gate  opened  from  the  corrai. 

As  soon  as  the  attack  was  determined  upon,  the  assailants  broke,  and  scattering,  concealed  them- 
selves under  cover  of  the  rocks  and  bushes  which  surrounded  the  house.  From  these  they  kept  up 
an  incessant  fire  upon  every  exposed  portion  of  the  building,  where  they  saw  the  Americans  pre- 
paring for  defense.  They,  on  their  parts,  were  not  idle  ;  not  a  man  but  was  an  old  mountaineer, 
and  each  had  his  trusty  rifle  with  a  good  share  of  ammunition.  Whenever  one  of  the  assailants 
exposed  a  hand's  breadth  of  his  person,  there  whistled  a  ball  from  an  unerring  hand.  The  windows 
had  been  blockaded,  loopholes  being  left  to  fire  through,  and  through  these  a  lively  fire  was  main- 
tained. Already  several  of  the  enemy  had  bitten  the  dust,  and  parties  were  constantly  seen  bearing 
off  the  wounded  upon  the  banks  of  the  Canada.  Darkness  came  on,  and  during  the  night  a  con- 
tinual fire  was  kept  up  on  the  mill,  while  its  defenders  reserving  their  ammunition,  kept  their  posts 
with  stern  and  silent  determination.  The  night  was  spent  in  running  balls,  cutting  patches,  and 
completing  the  defenses  of  the  building.  In  the  morning  the  fight  was  renewed,  and  it  was  found 
that  the  Mexicans  had  effected  a  lodgment  in  a  part  of  the  stables,  which  were  separated  from  tho 
other  portions  of  the  building,  and  between  which  was  an  open  space  of  a  few  feet.  The  assailants 
during  the  night,  had  sought  to  break  down  the  wall,  and  thus  enter  the  main  building,  but  the 
strength  of  the  adobes  and  logs  of  which  it  was  composed,  resisted,  effectually,  all  their  attempts. 

Those  in  the  stable  seemed  anxious  to  regain  the  outside,  for  their  position  was  unavailable  as  a 
means  of  annoyance  to  the  besieged,  and  several  had  darted  across  the  narrow  space  which  divided 
it  from  the  other  part  of  the  building,  and  which  slightly  projected,  and  behind  which  they  were  out 
of  the  line  of  fire.  As  soon,  however,  as  the  attention  of  the  defenders  were  called  to  this  point, 
the  first  man  who  attempted  to  cross,  and  who  happened  to  be  a  Pueblo  chief,  was  dropped  on  the 
instant,  and  fell  dead  in  the  center  of  the  intervening  space.  It  appeared  an  object  to  recover  the 
body,  for  an  Indian  immediately  dashed  out  to  the  fallen  chief,  and  attempted  to  drag  him  within 
cover  of  the  wall.  The  rifle  which  covered  the  spot,  again  poured  forth  its  deadly  contents,  and 
the  Indian,  springing  into  the  air,  fell  over  the  body  of  his  chief,  struck  to  the  heart.  Another  and 
another  met  with  a  similar  fate,  and  at  last,  three  rushed  at  once  to  the  spot,  and  seizing  the  body 
by  the  legs  and  head,  had  already  lifted  it  from  the  ground,  when  three  puffs  of  smoke  blew  from 
the  barricaded  windows,  followed  by  the  sharp  crack  of  as  many  rifles,  and  the  three  daring  Indians 
added  their  number  to  the  pile  of  corpses  which  now  covered  the  body  of  their  dead  chief. 

As  yet,  the  besieged  had  met  with  no  casualties  ;  but  after  the  fall  of  the  seven  Indians,  in  the 
manner  above  described,  the  whole  body  of  assailants,  with  a  shout  of  rage,  poured  in  a  rattling 
volley,  and  two  of  the  defenders  of  the  mill,  fell  mortally  wounded.  One  shot  through  the  loins, 
suffering  great  agony,  was  removed  to  the  still-house,  where  he  was  laid  upon  a  large  pile  of  grain,, 
as  being  the  softest  bed  to  be  found. 

In  the  middle  of  the  day,  the  assailants  renewed  the  attack  more  fiercely  than  before,  their  baflied. 
attempts  adding  to  their  furious  rage.  The  little  garrison  bravely  stood  to  the  defense  of  the  mill,, 
never  throwing  away  a  shot,  but  firing  coolly,  and  only  when  a  fair  mark  was  presented  to  their  un- 
erring aim.  Their  ammunition,  however,  was  fast  failing,  and  to  add  to  the  danger  of  the  situa- 
tion, the  enemy  set  fire  to  the  mill,  which  blazed  fiercely  and  threatened  destruction  to  the  whola 


366  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

Tne  territory  of  New  Mexico  contains  about  two  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  square  miles.  It  is  properly  divided  into  two  parts,  that  west  of 
the  Rocky  Mountain  range  the  n*e\v  part,  and  that  east,  the  old  part.  The 
first  was  annexed  to  the  last  by  Act  of  Congress  in  1850,  and  includes  a  part 
of  the  vast  territory  which,  formerly,  went  by  the  general  name  of  California. 
It  comprises  not  far  from  eighty  thousand  square  miles.  Of  it,  but  little  is 
known,  and  it  has  few  or  no  inhabitants,  other  than  wandering  tribes  of  In- 
dians. Along  the  Gila,  which  separates  it  on  the  south  from  Mexico,  it  is 
destitute  of  trees,  and,  in  great  part,  of  any  vegetation  whatever.  A  few 
feeble  streams  flow  in  different  directions  from  the  great  mountains,  which,  in 
many  places,  traverse  this  region.  The  portion  of  this  territory  north  of  the 
Gila,  has  been  but  imperfectly  explored ;  it  has  been  described  by  the  trap- 
pers who  have  passed  over  it,  as  being  mostly  covered  with  mountain  ranges, 
between  which  are  narrow  and  oftentimes  secluded  valleys,  small  in  extent, 
but  rich  in  vegetation,  and  fragrant  with  the  perfume  of  wild  flowers. 

The  valley  of  the  Gila,  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  residence  of  the 
Aztecs,  during  their  emigration  to  the  south.  There  is  little  doubt,  however, 
but  that  the  region  extending  from  the  Gila  to  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  with  that 
east  of  it,  was  the  locality  from  which  they  emigrated.  It  is  conjectured  that 
many  hundred  years  ago,  it  was  a  fertile  and  beautiful  country,  and  that  its 
ancient  inhabitants  were  driven  away  by  volcanic  eruptions.  On  the  Gila,  it 
is  said,  are  the  ruins  of  a  large  city;  huge  ditches  and  irrigating  canals  furrow 
the  plains  in  the  vicinity.  Pieces  of  broken  pottery,  of  domestic  utensils, 
stained  with  bright  colors,  quaintly  covered  idols,  and  women's  ornaments  of 
agate  and  obsidian,  it  is  said,  have  been  picked  up  by  wandering  trappers. 

The  Rio  Colorado,  the  great  river  of  this  region,  takes  its  rise  in  the 
slopes  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  near  the  northeastern  boundary  of  Deseret ; 
and  thence  passing  in  a  southwest  direction,  crosses  the  western  part,  and  en- 
ters the  Gulf  of  California.  The  valley  is  unexplored,  as  it  is  inhabited  by 
hostile  Indians;  but  it  is  supposed  to  be  of  great  fertility. 

building.  Since  they  succeeded  in  overcoming  the  flames,  and  taking  advantage  of  their  being  thus 
occupied,  the  Mexicans  and  Indians  charged  into  the  corral,  which  was  full  of  hogs  and  sheep,  and 
vented  their  cowardly  rage  upon  the  animals,  spearing  and  shooting  all  that  came  in  their  way.  No 
sooner,  however,  were  the  flames  extinguished  in  one  place,  than  they  broke  out  in  another  ;  aud 
as  a  successful  defense  was  perfectly  hopeless,  and  the  number  of  assailants  increased  every  moment, 
a  council  of  war  was  held  by  the  survivors  of  the  little  garrison,  when  it  was  determined,  as  soon 
as  night  approached,  that  every  one  should  attempt  to  escape  as  best  he  might,  and,  in  the  meantime, 
the  defense  of  the  mill  was  to  be  continued. 

Just  at  dusk,  two  of  the  men  ran  to  the  wicket  gate,  which  opened  in  a  kind  of  inclosed  space, 
and  in  which  were  a  number  of  armed  Mexicans.  They  both  rushed  out  at  the  same  moment,  dis- 
charging their  rifles  full  in  the  faces  of  the  crowd.  One  of  them,  in  the  confusion,  threw  himself 
under  the  fence,  whence  he  saw  his  companion  shot  down  immediately,  and  heard  his  cries  for  mer- 
cy, mingled  with  shrieks  of  pain  and  anguish,  as  the  cowards  pierced  him  with  knives  and  lances. 
Lying  without  motion  under  the  fence,  as  soon  as  it  was  quite  dark,  he  crept  over  the  logs  and  ran 
up  the  mountain,  traveling  day  and  night,  aud  scarcely  stopping  or  resting,  until  he  reached  a  tra- 
der's fort,  almost  dead  with  hunger  and  fatigue. 

Turley  succeeded,  himself,  in.  escaping  from  the  mill,  aud  in  reaching  the  mountain  unseen 
Here  he  met  a  Mexican  mounted  on  a  horse,  who  had  been  a  most  intimate  friend  of  the  unfortu- 
nate man  for  many  years.  To  this  man  Turley  offered  his  watch — which  was  treble  its  worth — 
for  the  use  of  his  horse,  but  was  refused.  The  inhuman  wretch,  however,  affected  pity  and  com- 
miseration for  the  fugitive,  and  advised  him  logo  to  a  certain  place,  where  he  would  bring  him,  or 
send  him  assistance  ;  but  on  reaching  the  mill,  which  was  now  a  mass  of  fire,  he  immediately  in- 
formed the  Mexicans  of  his  place  of  concealment  ;  hither  a  large  party  instantly  proceeded  and 
shot  him  to  death. 

Two  others  escaped  and  reached  Santa  Fe  in  safety.  The  mill  and  Turley's  house  were  ran- 
sacked and  gutted,  aud  all  his  hard  earnings,  which  were  considerable,  and  concealed  in  gold  about 
•the  house,  were  discovered,  and,  of  course,  seized  upon  by  the  victorious  Mexicans.  The  Indians, 
however,  met  a  few  days  after  with  a  severe  retribution.  The  troops  marched  out  from  Santa  Fe, 
.attacked  their  pueblo  and  leveled  it  to  the  ground,  killing  many  hundreds  of  its  defenders,  and 
taking  many  prisoners  some  of  the  principal  of  whom  were  hanged 


SANTA   FE,    NEW   MEXICO. 


"It  is    on  the  Bite  of  an  ancient  Indian  pueblo,  some  15  miles  eait  of  the  Rio  del 
Norte.  at  the  base  of  a  snow-clad  mountain,  and  contains  a  little  or«r  3000  souls." 


SKETCH  OF  NEW  MEXICO.  369 

The  old  part  of  New  Mexico,  or  that  which,  originally,  was  included  in 
the  Mexican  province  of  the  same  name,'  is  the  district  of  country  lying  upon 
and  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  is  the  only  portion  now  settled,  and  to 
which  the  remainder  of  this  article  will  alone  allude. 

It  possesses  but  a  few  natural  advantages  necessary  to  a  rapid  progress  in 
civilization.  It  is  surrounded  by  chains  of  mountains,  and  prairie  wilds  in 
every  direction  for  five  hundred  miles  or  more,  except  in  that  of  Chihuahua, 
from  which  it  is  separated  by  a  desert  country  of  over  four  hundred  miles. 
Its  nominal  territory,  when  under  Mexican  dominion,  was  about  two  hundred 
thousand  square  miles,  which  has  been  much  reduced  by  the  Act  of  Congress 
in  1850,  defining  the  boundary  line  of  Texas. 

New  Mexico  has  not  a  single  means  of  water  communication  with  the  rest 
of  the  world;  the  famous  Rio  Grande  del  Norte  being  full  of  sand-bars, 
and,  at  times,  almost  too  shallow  to  float  an  Indian  canoe.  In  the  southern 
part,  where  it  separates  Texas  from  Mexico,  it  is  navigable  for  steamboats 
drawing  two  feet  of  water  to  Laredo,  seven  hundred  miles  from  its  mouth. 
Opposite  the  valley  of  Taos,  it  runs  pent  up  in  a  frightful  chasm,  through 
which  it  rushes  in  rapid  torrents.  Indeed,  many  of  the  rivers  in  the  western 
part  of  our  continent,  wind  their  way  through  the  bottoms  of  chasms.  The 
Spanish  word  canon,  meaning  a  funnel,  has  a  peculiar  adaptation  to  these 
cleft  channels  through  which  the  rivers  are  poured.  About  sixty  miles  south 
of  Santa  Fe,  in  the  mighty  range  of  the  Sierra  Blanca,  is  a  famous  gorge, 
some  fifteen  miles  through,  called  the  "  El  Canone  Inferno,"  or  the  Infernal 
Pass,  where  rise  stupendous  masses  of  rock  piled  upon  rock,  until  the  traveler 
sees  at  the  top,  but  a  narrow  strip  of  sky ;  while  around  him  all  is  inwrapt 
in  chaotic  gloom. 

Santa  Fe,  the  capital,  eight  hundred  miles  west  of  the  Arkansas  frontier — 
sometimes  written  Santa  Fe  de  San  Francisco — Holy  Faith  of  St.  Francis 
— is  its  only  town  of  any  importance.  It- is  on  the  site  of  an  ancient  Indian 
pueblo,  some  fifteen  miles  east  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  at  the  base  of  a  snow- 
clad  mountain,  and  contains  a  little  over  three  thousand  souls,  and  with  its 
corporate  surrounding  villages  about  double  that  number.  The  town  is  irregu- 
larly laid  out,  and  is  a  wretched  collection  of  mud  houses,  much  scattered 
with  intervening  corn  fields.  The  only  attempt  at  architectural  compactness, 
consists  of  four  tiers  of  buildings  around  the  public  square,  comprising  the 
Palacio,  or  Governor's  House,  "the  Custom  House,  Barracks,  &c. 

The  population  of  New  Mexico  is  almost  exclusively  confined  to  towns 
and  villages,  the  suburbs  of  which  are  generally  farms — a  mode  of  living 
which  has  been  indispensable  for  protection  against  the  savages.  The  prin- 
cipal of  these  settlements  extend  about  two  hundred  and  iorty  miles  along 
the  valley  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  being  both  above  and  below  Santa  Fe. 
Next  to  the  capital,  is  the  valley  of  Taos,  there  being  no  town  of  this  name 
in  New  Mexico.  It  includes  several  villages  and  settlements.  This  valley 
is  rich  and  beautiful,  and  produces  abundant  crops  of  wheat  of  a  superlative 
quality.  Although  many  of  the  bottom  lands  in  New  Mexico  ar£  fertile,  yet 
the  uplands  are  unproductive,  partly  from  natural  sterility,  and  partly  from 
want  of  irrigation ;  hence,  the  settlements  are,  of  necessity,  principally  con- 
fined to  the  valleys  of  the  constant  flowing  streams.  In  some  places  the  crops 
are  frequently  cut  short  by  the  drying  up  of  the  streams.  Where  water  is 
abundant,  however,  art  has  so  far  superseded  the  offices  of  nature  in  watering 
the  farms,  that  it  is  almost  a  question  whether  the  interference  of  nature  in 
the  matter,  would  not  be  a  disadvantage.  On  the  one  hand,  the  husband- 
man need  not  have  his  grounds  overflowed  if  he  administers  the  water  him- 
self, much  less  need  he  permit  them  to  suffer  from  drought.  He  is,  therefore, 
46 


370  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

more  sure  of  his  crop,  than  if  it  were  subject  to  the   caprices  of  the  weather 
in  more  favored  agricultural  regions. 

One  "  mother  ditch,"  as  it  is  called,  suffices  generally  to  convey  water  for 
the  irrigation  of  an  entire  valley,  or,  at  least,  for  all  the  fields  of  one  town  or 
settlement.  This  is  made  and  kept  in  repair  by  the  public,  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  alcaldes ;  laborers  being  allotted  to  work  upon  it  as  with  us 
upon  our  county  roads.  The  size  of  this  principal  ditch  is,  of  course,  pro- 
portioned to  the  quantity  of  land  to  be  watered.  It  is  conveyed  over  the 
highest  part  of  the  valley,  which,  on  these  mountain  streams,  is,  for  the  most 
part,  next  to  the  hills.  From  this,  each  proprietor  of  a  farm  runs  a  minor 
ditch,  in  like  manner,  over  the  most  elevated  part  of  his  field.  Where  there 
is  not  a  superabundance  of  water,  which  is  often  the  case  on  the  smaller 
streams,  each  farmer  has  his  day,  or  portion  of  a  day,  allotted  to  him  for  irri- 
gation ;  and  at  no  other  time  is  he  permitted  to  extract  water  from  the  mother 
ditch.  Then  the  cultivator,  after  letting  the  water  into  his  minor  ditch,  darns 
this,  first  at  one  point  and  then  at  another,  so  as  to  overflow  a  section  at  a 
time,  and  with  his  hoe,  depressing  eminences  and  filling  sinks,  he  causes  the 
water  to  spread  regularly  over  the  surface.  Though  the  operation  would  seem 
tedious,  an  expert  irrigator  will  water  in  one  day  his  five  or  six  acre  field,  if 
level,  and  everything  well  arranged;  yet  on  uneven  ground,  he  will  hardly  be 
able  to  get  over  hilt'  of  that  amount. 

The  climate  of  New  Mexico  is  unsurpassingly  pure  and  healthv.  A  sul- 
try day  is  very  rare.  The  summer  nights  are  cool  and  pleasant.  The  winters 
are  long,  but  uniform,  and  the  atmosphere  of  an  extraordinary  dryness;  and 
there  is  but  little  rain,  except  from  July  to  October.  The  general  range  of 
the  thermometer  is  from  10  deg.  to  75  deg.  a*bove  Fahrenheit.  Fevers  are 
uncommon,  and  instances  of  remarkable  longevity  are  frequent.  Persons 
withered  almost  to  mummies  are  met  with  occasionally,  whose  extraordinary 
age  is  showed  by  their  recollection  of  certain  notable  events,  which  have 
taken  place  in  times  far  remote. 

Excluding  the  wild  Indians,  the  population  of  New  Mexico  is  estimated  at 
about  seventy  thousand,  viz  :  Spaniards,  one  thousand  ;  Mestizos,  or  offspring 
of  whites  and  Indians,  fifty-nine  thousand  ;  and  Pueblos,  or  christianized  In- 
dians, ten  thousand.  In  1850,  the  number  of  Americans  was  estimated  at 
about  two  thousand. 

Agriculture  is  in  a  very  primitive  and  unimproved  state,  the  hoe  being  alone 
used  by  a  greater  part  of  the  peasantry.  Wheat  and  Indian  corn  are  the 
principal  staples  ;  cotton,  fiax  and  tobacco,  although  indigenous,  are  not  cul- 
tivated :  the  soil  is  finely  adapted  to  the  Irish  potato.  Fruit  is  scarce,  and 
there  is  but  little  timber,  except  in  the  mountains  and  on  the  water-courses. 
The  most  important  natural  product  of  the  soil  is  its  pasturage.  Most  of 
the  high  table-plains  affo  d  the  finest  grazing  in  the  world,  while,  for  want  of 
water,  they  are  utterly  useless  for  most  other  purposes.  That  scanty  moisture 
which  suffices  to  bring  forth  the  natural  vegetation,  is  insufficient  for  agricul- 
tural productions,  without  the  aid  of  irrigation.  The  high  prairies  of  all 
this  region,  differ  greatly  from  those  of  our  border  in  the  general  char 
acter  of  their  vegetation.  They  are  remarkably  destitute  of  the  gay  flowering 
plants  for  which  the  former  are  so  celebrated,  being  mostly  clothed  with  dif- 
ferent species  of  a  highly  nutritious  grass  called  grama,  which  is  of  a  very 
short  and  curly  quality.  The  highlands,  upon  which  alone  this  sort  of  grass 
is  produced,  being  seldom  verdant  until  after  the  rainy  season  sets  in,  the  grama 
is  only  in  perfection  from  August  to  October.  But  being  rarely  nipped  by  the 
frost  until  the  rains  are  over,  it  cures  upon  the  ground  and  remains  excellent 
hay — equal,  if  not  superior,  to  that  which  is  cut  and  stacked  from  our  western 


THE   INFERNAL   PASS. 

"About  CO  miles  south  of  8anta  Fe.  in  the  mighty  range  of  the  Sierra 
is  a  famous  gorge,  some  15  miles  through,  called  •  El  Cstnone  Inferno  '  or  tha 
Infernal  Pass,  where  rise  stxipendous  masses  of  rock  piled  upon  rock,  until  the 
traveler  sees,  at  the  top.  tout  a  narrow  swip  of  iky;  while  around  him  all  it 
involved  in  chaotic  gloom." 


SKETCH  OF  NEW  MEXICO.  373 

prairies.  Although  the  winters  are  rigorous,  the  feeding  of  stock  is  almost 
entirely  unknown  in  New  Mexico;  nevertheless,  the  extensive  herds  of  the 
country,  not  only  of  cattle  and  sheep,  but  of  mules  and  horses,  generally 
maintain  themselves  in  excellent  condition  upon  the  dry  pasturage  alone 
through  the  cold  season,  and  until  the  rains  start  up  the  green  grass  again  the 
following  summer. 

The  mechanic  arts  are  very  rude,  even  sawed  lumber  being  absolutely  un- 
known. The  New  Mexicans  are  celebrated  for  the  manufacture  of  a  beauti- 
ful sarape  or  blanket,  which  is  woven  into  gaudy,  rainbow-like  hues.  Their 
domestic  goods  are  nearly  all  wool,  the  manufacture  of  which  is  greatly  em- 
barrassed for  the  want  ot  adequate  machinery. 

The  system  of  Peon  slavery  existed  under  the  Mexican  dominion.  By 
'he  local  laws,  a  debtor  was  imprisoned  for  debt  until  it  was  paid;  or, 
»f  the  creditor  chose,  he  took  the  debtor  as  a  servant  to  work  out  his  claim. 
This  system  operated  with  a  terrible  severity  upon  the  unfortunate  poor,  who, 
although  they  worked  for  fixed  wages,  received  so  small  a  compensation,  that 
if  the  debt  was  of  any  amount,  it  compelled  them  to  a  perpetual  servitude,  as 
they  received  barely  sufficient  for  food  and  clothing. 

According  to  tradition,  numerous  and  productive  mines  were  in  operation 
in  New  Mexico  before  the  expulsion  of  the  Spaniards  in  1680  ;  but  these  hav- 
ing been  the  causes  of  the  terrible  oppressions  which  they  suffered,  the  In- 
dians, after  the  second  conquest,  refused  to  disclose  their  locality.  In  various 
quarters  of  the  territory  are  vestiges  of  ancient  excavation,  and  in  places,  ruins 
of  considerable  towns,  evidently  reared  for  mining  purposes.  The  most  re- 
markable of  these  ancient  ruins  are  those  of  La  Gran  Quivira,  about  one 
hundred  miles  south  of  Santa  Fe,  which  evidently  was  much  larger  and  richer 
than  the  present  capital.  The  style  of  architecture  is  superior  to  anything  at 
present  in  New  Mexico.  To  be  seen,  are  the  remains  of  Catholic  churches 
and  aqueducts  leading  to  the  mountains,  eight  or  ten  miles  distant.  As  there 
are  no  indications  of  the  inhabitants  having  been  engaged  in  agriculture,  and 
from  the  deep,  spacious  pits  found  there,  it  is  evident  that  this  town  was  es- 
tablished for  the  purpose  of  mining  for  the  precious  metals.  In  the  general 
massacre  of  1680,  tradition  says,  that  all  the  inhabitants,  save  one,  perished. 
On  the  high  table  lands,  in  that  vicinity,  are  extensive  salt  lakes,  from 
which  all  the  salt  used  in  New  Mexico  is  procured.  Large  caravans  go 
there  for  it  annually,  in  the  dry  season,  from  Santa  Fe. 

The  most  important  mine  in  New  Mexico,  is  El  Placer,  twenty-seven 
miles  south  of  Santa  Fe,  from  which,  since  its  discovery  in  1828,  half  a  mil- 
lion of  gold  has  been  taken,  but  without  great  profit  to  the  owners.  Gold, 
doubtless,  exists  over  almost  the  whole  of  New  Mexico,  but  it  requires  more 
than  the  native  enterprise  and  skill  to  mine  successfully.  Within  the  last 
century,  no  silver  mines  have  been  in  successful  operation  in  New  Mexico. 
Zinc,  copper  and  lead  also  exist. 

The  term  Pueblo,  in  Spanish,  literally  means  the  people  and  their  towns. 
In  New  Mexico,  the  word  is  applied  to  the  christianized  Indians,  as  well 
as  to  their  villages.  When  the  country  was  first  discovered,  these  Indians 
lived  in  comfortable  houses,  and  cultivated  the  soil.  Indeed,  now  they  are 
the  best  horticulturists  in  New  Mexico,  furnishing  most  of  the  fruits  and  vege- 
tables to  be  found  in  the  markets.  They  also  cultivate  the  grape,  and  have 
extensive  herds  of  cattle,  horses,  &c.  They  are  remarkable  for  sobriety, 
honesty,  morality  and  industry,  and  are  much  braver  than  the  other  class  of 
New  Mexicans,  and  in  the  war  with  Mexico,  fought  with  desperation  com- 
pared to  those  in  the  south.  At  the  time  of  the  conquest,  they  must  have 
been  a  very  powerful  people,  numbering  near  one  hundred  villages,  as  their 


374  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

ruins  would  indicate.  The  population  of  their  villages  or  pueblos,  average 
about  five  hundred  souls.  They  assert  thai  they  are  the  descendants  of  Mon- 
tezuma.  They  profess  the  Catholic  faith,  but  this,  doubtless,  reaches  no  farther 
than  understanding  its  formalities,  and  at  the  same  time,  they  all  worship  the 
sun. 

They  were  only  nominally  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Mexican  Govern- 
ment, many  features  of  their  ancient  customs,  in  both  government  and  religion, 
being  retained.  Each  Pueblo  was  under  the  control  of  a  cacique  chosen  by 
themselves,  who,  with  his  council,  had  charge  of  the  interior  police  of  the 
village.  One  of  their  regulations  was  to  appoint  a  secret  watch  to  suppress 
vice  and  disorder  of  every  description,  and  especially  to  keep  an  eye  over  the 
young  men  and  women  of  the  village. 

Their  villages  are  built  of  adobes  and  with  great  regularity  ;  sometimes 
they  have  but  one  large  house,  with  several  stories,  each  story  divided  into 
apartments,  in  which  the  whole  village  reside.  Instead  of  doors  in  front, 
they  use  trap-doors  on  the  roofs  of  their  houses,  to  which  they  mount  up  on 
a  ladder,  which  is  drawn  up  at  night  for  greater  security.  Their  dress  con- 
sists of  moccasins,  short  breeches,  and  woollen  jackets  or  blankets;  they  gene- 
rally wear  their  hair  long.  Bows  and  arrows  and  a  lance,  and  sometimes  a 
gun,  constitute  their  weapons.  They  manufacture  blankets,  as  well  as  other 
woollen  stuffs,  crockery-ware  and  coarse  pottery.  The  dress  of  many  is  like 
the  Mexican;  but  the  majority  retain  their  aboriginal  costume. 

Among  the  villages  of  the  Pueblo  Indians,  was  that  of  the  Pecos  tribe, 
twenty-five  miles  east  of  Santa  Fe,  which  gradually  dwindled  away  under  the 
inroads  of  the  Camanches  and  other  causes,  until  about  the  year  1838,  when 
having  been  reduced  to  only  about  a  dozen  souls  of  all  ages,  they  abandoned 
the  place. 

Many  tales  are  told  of  the  singular  habits  of  this  ill-fated  tribe,  which 
must,  no  doubt,  have  tended  to. hasten  its  utter  annihilation.  A  tradition  was 
prevalent  among  them  that  Montezuma  had  kindled  a  holy  lire,  and  enjoined 
their  ancestors  not  to  suffer  it  to  be  extinguished  until  he  should  return  to  de- 
liver his  people  from  the  yoke  of  the  Spaniards.  In  pursuance  of  these  com- 
nnnds,  a  constant  watch  had  been  maintained  for  ages  to  prevent  the  fire  from 
going  out;  and,  as  tradition  further  informed  them,  that  Montezuma  would 
appfiir  with  the  sun,  the  deluded  Indians  were  to  be  seen  every  clear  morning 
upon  the  terraced  roofs  of  their  houses,  attentively  watching  for  the  appear- 
ance of  the  "  king  of  light,"  in  hopes  of  seeing  him  accompanied  by  their 
immortal  sovereign.  This  consecrated  fire  was  down  in  a  subterranean  vault, 
where  it  was  kept  silently  smoldering  under  a  covering  of  ashes,  in  the  basin 
of  a  small  altar.  Some  say  that  they  never  lost  hope  in  the  final  coming  of 
Montezuma  until,  by  some  accident  or  other,  or  a  lack  of  a  sufficiency  of 
warriors  to  watch  it,  the  fire  became  extinguished  ;  and  that  it  was  this  catas- 
trophe that  induced  them  to  abandon  their  village. 

The  t'isk  of  tending  the  sacred  fire  was,  it  is  said,  allotted  to  the  warriors. 
It  is  further  related,  that  they  took  the  watch  by  turns  for  two  successive  days 
and  nights,  without  partaking  of  either  food,  water,  or  sleep;  while  some  as- 
S"it,  that  instead  of  being  restricted  to  two  days,  each  guard  continued  with 
the>  same  unbending  severity  of  purpose  until  exhaustion;  and,  that  frequently 
death  left  thfir  places  to  be  filled  by  others.  A  large  proportion  of  those  who 
came  out  al.ve  were  generally  so  completely  prostrated  by  the  want  of  repose 
and  their  inhaiition  of  carbonic  gas,  that  they  very  soon  died;  when,  as  the 
vulgar  story  asserts,  their  remains  were  carried  to  the  den  of  a  monstrous 
serpent,  which  kept  itself  in  excellent  condition  by  feeding  upon  these  deli- 
cacies. 


SKETCH   OF  NEW  MEXICO.  375 

Even  so  late  as  1830,  when  it  contained  a  population  of  fifty  to  a  hundred 
souls,  the  traveler  would  oftentimes  perceive  but  a  solitary  Indian,  a  woman, 
or  a  child,  standing  here  and  there  like  so  many  statues  upon  the  roofs  of 
their  houses,  with  their  eyes  h'xed  on  the  eastern  horizon,  or  leaning  ng-iinst 
a  wall  or  a  fence,  listlessly  gazing  at  the  passing  stringer;  while  at  "ih-»- 
times,  not  a  soul  was  to  be  seen  in  any  direction,  and  the  sepulchral  silence 
of  the  place  was  only  disturbed  by  the  occasional  barking  of  a  dog,  or  ihr 
cac-kling  of  hens.  No  other  Pueblo  appears  to  have  adopted  this  extraordi- 
nary superstition  :  like  Pecos,  however,  they  have  all  held  Moritrzuma  to  be 
their  perpetual  sovereign.  It  would  likewise  appear  that  they  all  worship 
the  sun;  for  it  is  asserted  to  be  their  regular  practice  to  turn  the  face  toward 
the  east  at  sunrise. 

The  wild  tribes  who  inhabit  or  extend  their  incursions  into  New  Mexico, 
are  the  Navajoes,  the  Apaches,  the  Yutas,  the  Kiawas,  and  the  Camanches. 
The  Navajoes  are  estimated  at  about  ten  thousand,  and  reside  in  the  main 
range  of  the  Cordilleras,  two  hundred  miles  west  of  Santa  Fe,  on  the  Rio 
Colorado,  near  the  region  from  whence,  historians  say,  the  Aztecs  emi- 
grated to  Mexico.  They  are  supposed  to  be  the  remnants  of  that  justly  cele- 
brated nation  of  antiquity  who  remained  in  the  north.  Although  living  in 
rude  wigwams,  they  excel  all  Indian  nations  in  their  manufactures.  They 
are  still  distinguished  for  some  exquisite  styles  of  cotton  textures,  and  display 
considerable  ingenuity  in  embroidering  with  feathers  the  skins  of  animals. 
The  serape  Navajo  (Navajo  blanket),  is  of  so  dense  a  texture  as  to  be  fre- 
quently water-proof,  and  some  of  the  finer  qualities  bring  sixty  dollars  each, 
among  the  Mexicans.  Notwithstanding  their  wandering  habits,  they  culti- 
vate the  different  grains  and  vegetables,  and  possess  extensive  and  superior 
herds  of  horses,  mules,  cattle,  sheep  and  goats. 

The  Apaches  are  mainly  west  of  the  Rio  del  Norte,  and  are  the  most  pow- 
erful and  vagrant  of  the  Indian  tribes  of  Northern  Mexico,  and  number,  it  is 
estimated,  fifteen  thousand  souls,  of  whom  two  thousand  are  warriors.  They 
cultivate  and  manufacture  nothing,  and  appear  to  depend  entirely  upon  pil- 
lage for  subsistence.  The  depredations  of  the  Apaches  have  been  of  so  long 
a  duration  that  beyond  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  towns,  the  whole  country 
from  New  Mexico  to  the  borders  of  Durango,  is  almost  entirely  depopulated. 
The  Eutaws  or  Yutas,  are  scattered  from  the  north  of  New  Mexico  to  the 
borders  of  Snake  River  and  Rio  Colorado,  and  are  estimated  at  ten  thousand 
souls.  These  various  tribes,  particularly  the  Apaches,  are  the  terror  of  the 
Mexicans.  They  are  considered  by  them  as  a  very  brave  people,  but  not 
equal  in  this  respect  to  the  Camanches ;  while  the  latter,  who  number  about 
twenty  thousand,  are  perfect  poltroons  when  compared  with  the  Shawanees, 
Wyaridots,  Seminoles,  and  the  rest  of  our  border  tribes. 

The  New  Mexicans  are  very  similar  to  the  rest  of  the  Spanish  race  all 
over  Mexico,  so  often  described  by  travelers.  The  higher  classes  conform 
themselves  more  to  American  and  European  fashions ;  the  men  of  the  lower 
classes  are  faithful  to  their  serapes,  or  colored  blankets,  and  to  their  wide 
trowsers,  ornamented  with  glittering  buttons,  and  which  are  split  from  hip  to 
ankle  to  display  their  white  cotton  drawers.  The  females  of  all  classes  are 
more  than  justified  in  not  giving  up  their  coquettish  reboso,  a  small  shawl 
drawn  over  the  head.  Both  sexes  enjoy  the  cigarrito,  or  paper  cigar,  hold 
their  siesta  after  dinner,  and  amuse  themselves  in  the  evening  with  monte,  or 
fandangoes.  Their  dances  are  very  graceful,  and  generally  a  combination  of 
quadrille  and  waltz.  The  males  are  generally  ill-featured,  while  the  females 
are  often  quite  handsome.  Another  striking  singularity,  is  the  wide  difference 
in  the  character  of  the  two  sexes.  While  the  men  have  often  been  censured 


376  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

for  their  indolence,  mendacity,  treachery,  and  cruelty,  the  women  are  active, 
affectionate,  and  open-hearted.  Though  generally  not  initiated  in  the  art  of 
reading  and  writing,  the  females  possess,  nevertheless,  a  strong  common  sense, 
and  a  natural  sympathy  for  every  suffering  being,  be  it  friend  or  foe  ;  which 
compensates  them,  in  some  degree,  for  the  want  of  a  refined  education. 


OREGON. 

THE  western  coasts  of  North  America  were  first  partially  explored  by  the 
Spaniards  in  the  century  succeeding  the  discovery  of  America.  Their  ex- 
plorations were  later  followed  by  the  English.  In  1578,  Sir  Francis  Drake 
ranged  this  coast  from  38  to  48  deg.  This  region  was  called  by  the  Eng- 
lish, New  Albion.  The  name  Oregon  is  from  Oregano,  the  Spanish  name 
for  wild  marjoram ;  and  it  is  from  this  word,  or  some  other  similar,  that  its 
name  is  supposed  to  have  arisen.  But  little  was  known  of  even  its  coast  up 
to  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century.  Immediately  after  the  last  voyage  of 
the  renowned  navigator,  Capt.  Cook,  the  immense  quantities  of  sea-otter, 
beaver  and  other  valuable  furs  to  be  obtained  on  the  northwest  coast  of 
America,  and  the  enormous  prices  which  they  would  bring  in  China,  was 
communicated  to  civilized  nations,  and  created  as  much  excitement  as  the  dis- 
covery of  a  new  gold  region.  A  large  number  of  people  rushed  at  once  into 
this  lucrative  traffic :  so  that  in  the  year  1792,  it  is  said  that  there  were  twenty- 
one  vessels  under  different  flags,  but  principally  American,  plying  along  the 
coast  of  Oregon,  and  trading  with  the  natives. 

Up  to  this  period,  nothing  was  positively  known  of  the  Columbia  River, 
the  greatest  stream  which  enters  the  Pacific  from  America.  The  Spanish 
navigator,  Heceta,  in  August,  1776,  first  saw  the  opening  through  which  its 
waters  discharge  into  the  ocean,  and  it  was  accordingly  marked  on  the  Span- 
ish charts  as  the  mouth  of  the  river  San  Roque.  In  July,  1788,  Lieutenant 
Meares,  of  the  British  Navy,  examined  it,  and  left  with  the  conviction  that 
no  river  was  there ;  yet  this  was  the  claim  which  the  British  set  up  to  pos- 
session by  the  right  of  discovery.  Vancouver,  another  British  navigator,  who 
was  exploring  the  coast  in  1792,  confirmed  this  opinion.  He  stated  that  from 
Cape  Mendocino,  in  California,  to  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  the  southern  boundary 
of  Vancouver's  Island,  there  was  not  a  single  harbor,  "  the  whole  coast  form- 
ing one  compact  and  nearly  straight  barrier  against  the  sea." 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1792,  Capt.  Robert  Gray,  of  the  ship  Columbia  of 
Boston,  discovered  and  entered  the  river,  which  he  named  from  his  vessel. 
He  was,  in  reality,  the  first  person  who  established  the  fact  of  the  existence 
of  this  great  river,  and  this  gave  to  the  United  States  the  right  to  the  country 
drained  by  its  waters  by  the  virtue  of  discovery. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  year  1792,  Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie,  with  an  ex- 
ploring party,  left  Fort  Chippewayan,  on  Athabasca  Lake,  midway  between 
Hudson's  Bay  and  the  Pacific,  in  the  high  northern  latitude  of  59  deg.,  and 
reached  the  Pacific  Ocean  in  July,  1793,  in  latitude  52  deg.  20  min.,  being 
thus  the  first  white  man  who  had  ever  crossed  the  American  continent  in  its 
widest  part.  His  route  appears  to  have  been  some  distance  north  of  what  is 
now  the  northern  boundary  of  Oregon.  In  1804-'5,  Lewis  and  Clark  ex- 
plored the  country  from  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  to  that  of  the  Columbia. 
This  exploration  of  the  Columbia,  the  first  ever  made,  constituted  another 
ground  of  the  claim  of  the  United  States  to  the  country.  In  1806,  the  Brit- 
ish North  West  Fur  Company  established  a  trading-post  on  Eraser's  Lake, 
in  latitude  54  deg.,  which  was  the  first  settlement  of  any  kind  made  by  Brit- 


SKETCH   OF  OREGON.  377 

ish  subjects  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Other  posts  were  established  by 
them  soon  after  in  that  region,  to  which  was  then  given  the  name  of  New 
Caledonia. 

In  1808,  the  Missouri  Fur  Company,  through  their  agent,  Mr.  Henry,  es- 
tablished a  trading-post  on  Lewis  River,  a  branch  of  the  Columbia,  which 
was  the  lirst  establishment  of  civilized  people  in  what  is  now  Oregon.  An 
attempt  was  made  that  year  by  Capt.  Smith,  of  the  Albatross,  of  Boston,  to 
found  a  trading-post  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Columbia,  forty  miles  from  its 
mouth.  It  was  abandoned  the  same  season,  and  that  of  Mr.  Henry's  in  1810. 

In  the  year  1810,  John  Jacob  Astor,  a  German  merchant  of  New  York, 
who  had  accumulated  an  immense  fortune  by  commerce  in  the  Pacific  and 
China,  formed  the  Pacific  Fur  Company.  His  first  objects  were  to  concen- 
trate in  the  company,  the  fur-trade  in  the  unsettled  parts  of  America,  and 
also  the  supply  of  merchandise  for  the  Russian  fur-trading  establishments  in 
the  North  Pacific.  For  these  purposes,  posts  were  to  be  established  on  the 
Missouri  and  the  Columbia,  and  vicinity.  These  posts  were  to  be  supplied 
with  the  merchandise  required  for  trading  by  ships  from  the  Atlantic  coast, 
or  across  the  country  by  the  way  of  the  Missouri.  A  factory  or  depot  was 
to  be  founded  on  the  Pacific,  for  receiving  this  merchandise,  and  distributing 
it  to  the  different  posts,  and  for  receiving  in  turn  furs  from  them,  which  were 
to  be  sent  by  ships  from  thence  to  Canton.  Vessels  were  also  to  be  sent 
from  the  United  States  to  the  factory  with  merchandise,  to  be  traded  for  furs, 
which  would  then  be  sent  to  Canton,  and  there  exchanged  for  teas,  silks, 
&c.,  to  be  in  turn  distributed  in  Europe  and  America. 

This  stupendous  enterprise  at  the  time  appeared  practicable.  The  only 
party  from  whom  any  rivalry  could  be  expected,  was  the  British  North  West 
Compiny,  and  their  means  were  far  inferior  to  those  of  Astor.  From  mo- 
tives  of  policy,  he  offered  them  one -third  interest,  which  they  declined,  secretly 
intending  to  forestall  him.  Having  matured  his  scheme,  Mr.  Astor  engaged 
partners,  clerks,  and  voyageurs,  the  majority  of  whom  were  Scotchmen  and 
Canadians,  previously  in  the  service  of  the  North  West  Company.  Wilson 
P.  Hunt  of  New  Jersey,  was  chosen  the  chief  agent  of  the  operations  in 
Western  America. 

In  September  1810,  the  ship  Tonquin,  Capt.  Thorn,  left  New  York  for 
the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  with  four  of  the  partners,  M'Kay,  M'Dougal, 
and  David  and  Robert  Stuart,  all  British  subjects,  with  clerks,  voyageurs, 
and  mechanics.  In  January,  1811,  the  second  detachment,  with  Hunt, 
M'Clellan,  M*Kenzie,  and  Crooks,  also  left  New  York  to  go  overland  by  the 
Missouri  to  the  same  point,  and  in  October  1811,  the  ship  Beaver,  Captain 
Sowles,  with  several  clerks  and  attaches  left  New  York  for  the  North  Pacific. 
Prior  to  these,  in  1809,  Mr.  Astor  had  dispatched  the  Enterprise,  Capt. 
Ebberts,  to  make  observations  at  the  Russian  settlements,  and  to  prepare  the 
way  for  settlements  in  Oregon.  He  also,  in  1811,  sent  an  agent  to  St.  Peters- 
burg, who  obtained  from  the  Russian  American  Fur  Company,  the  monopoly 
of  supplying  their  posts  in  the  North  Pacific  with  merchandise,  and  receiving 
furs  in  exchange. 

In  March  1811,  the  Tonquin  arrived  at  the  Columbia,  and  soon  after  they 
commenced  erecting  on  the  south  bank,  a  few  miles  inland,  their  factory  or 
depot  building:  this  place  they  named  Astoria.  In  June,  the  Tonquin, 
with  M'Kay,  sailed  north  to  make  arrangements  for  trading  with  the  Rus 
sians.  In  July,  the  Astorians  were  surprised  by  the  appearance  of  a  party 
of  the  North  West  Company,  undsr  Mr.  Thompson,  who  had  come  overland 
from  Canada,  to  forestall  them  in  the  occupation  of  the  mouth  of  the  Colum- 
bia ;  but  had  been  delayed  too  late  for  this  purpose^  in  seeking  a  passage 
47 


378  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

througn  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  had  been  obliged  to  winter  there.  Mr. 
Thompson  was  accompanied  on  his  return,  by  David  Stuart,  who  founded  the 
trading-post  called  Okonogan. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  next  year  (1812),  the  detachment  of  Hunt  came 
into  Astoria  in  parties,  and  in  a  wretched  condition.  They  had  been  over  a 
year  in  coming  from  St.  Louis;  had  undergone  extreme  suffering  from  hun- 
ger, thirst,  and  cold  in  their  wanderings  that  winter,  through  the  dreary  wil- 
derness of  snow-clad  mountains,  from  which,  and  other  causes,  numbers  of 
them  perished.  In  May  1812,  the  Beaver,  bringing  the  third  detachment, 
under  Mr.  Clarke,  arrived  at  Astoria.  They  brought  a  letter  which  had  been 
left  at  the  Sandwich  Islands  by  Capt.  Ebbets  of  the  Enterprise,  containing 
the  sad  intelligence,  that  the  Tonquin  and  her  crew  had  been  destroyed  by 
the  savages,  near  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  the  June  preceding.* 

In  August,  Mr.  Hunt,  leaving  Astoria  in  the  charge  of  M'Dougal,  embarked 
in  the  Beaver,  to  trade  with  the  Russian  posts,  which  was  to  have  been  done 
by  the  Tonquin.  He  was  successful,  and  effected  a  higly  advantageous  ar- 
rangement at  Sitka,  with  Baranof,  Governor  of  Russian  America;  took  in  a 
rich  cargo  of  furs,  and  dispatched  the  vessel  to  Canton,  via  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  where  he,  in  person  remained,  and  in  1814,  he  returned  to  Astoria  in 
the  Peddler,  which  he  had  chartered,  and  found  that  Astoria  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  N.  W.  Company. 

When  Hunt  left  in  the  Beaver,  a  party  was  dispatched,  which  established 
a  trading-post  on  the  Sp'okan.  Messrs.  Crooks,  M'Clellan,  and  Robt.  Stuart 
about  this  time  set  out  and  crossed  oveiland  to  New  York,  with  an  account 
of  what  had  been  done.  The  trade  was  in  the  meantime  very  prosperous, 
and  a  large  quantity  of  furs  had  been  collected  at  Astoria. 

*  The  Tonquin  was  destroyed  and  the  crew  massacred  by  the  savages  in  the  harbor  of  Neweetee, 
on  Vancouver's  Island.  The  circumstances  were  subsequently  learned  from  tiie  Indian  interpreter 
Lamazee,  who  escaped  the  fate  of  his  companions.  A  large  number  of  natives  had  been  admitted 
on  board  of  the  vessel,  ostensibly  for  the  purposes  of  trade;  having  concealed  under  their  garments 
knives  and  war-clubs.  At  a  given  signal,  they  raised  the  war-shout,  and  with  appalling  yells, 
rushed  upon  the  crew,  and  massacred  them  and  all  the  officers,  but  four  of  the  men  and  the  clerk, 
Mr.  Lewis.  The  latter  retreated  to  the  cabin,  and  after  fastening  the  door,  they  broke  holes 
through  the  companion-way,  and  with  the  muskets  in  the  cabin  drove  the  savages  into  their  canoes, 
and  then  sallying  forth,  discharged  some  of  the  deck  guns,  which  did  great  execution  among  their 
canoes,  and  drove  them  ashore. 

finding  it  impossible  to  get  under  way,  the  four  seamen  determined  to  leave  her,  and  endeavor 
to  effect  their  escape  in  the  long-boat  Lewis  having  been  mortally  wounded,  remained  behind, 
determining  if  possible,  to  decoy  as  many  savages  as  was  in  his  power,  on  board,  and  avenge  the 
death  of  his  shipmates  by  setting  fire  to  the  magazine.  His  companions  bade  him  a  last  and  melan- 
choly adieu,  and  took  to  their  boat. 

When  the  next  day  dawned,  the  Tonquin  still  lay  at  anchor  in  the  bay,  her  sails  all  loose  and 
flapping  in  the  wind,  no  one  apparently  on  board  of  her.  After  a  time,  some  of  the  canoes  ventured 
forth  to  reconuoiter,  taking  with  them  the  interpreter  Lamazee.  While  thus  employed,  Lewis,  now 
the  only  survivor  on  board  the  vessel,  made  his  appearance,  and  with  friendly  signs  invited  them  on 
board,  with  which,  after  some  delay,  they  complied.  Finding  no  resistance,  nor  even  a  soul  on 
deck,  for  Lewis  had  disappeared,  others  soon  pressed  forward  to  take  the  prize,  so  that  the  decks 
were  soon  crowded,  when  in  the  midst  of  their  exultation,  the  ship  blew  up  with  a  tremendous  ex- 
plosion. Arms,  legs,  and  mutilated  bodies  were  blown  into  the  air,  and  dreadful  havoc  was  made 
in  the  surrounding  canoes.  The  interpreter  was  in  the  main  chains  at  the  time  of  the  explosion, 
from  which  he  was  thrown  into  the  water  and  succeeded  in  getting  into  one  of  the  canoes.  Ac- 
cording to  his  statement,  the  bay  presented  an  awful  spectacle  after  the  catastrophe. 

The  inhabitants  of  Neweetee  were  overwhelmed  with  consternation  at  this  astounding  calamity, 
which  had  burst  upon  them  in  the  very  moment  of  triumph.  The  warriors  sat  mute  and  mourn- 
ful, while  the.  women  and  children  rent  the  air  with  the  death-wail.  • 

Their  sadness  and  waitings,  however,  were  suddenly  changed  into  yells  of  fury  at  the  sight  of 
four  unfortunate  white  men  brought  captive  into  the  village.  These  were  the  four  snilors  who 
had  l<» ft  the  Tonquin  the  night  before  in  the  long-boat  They  had  labored  with  might  and  main 
to  get  out  of  the  harbor,  but  found  it  impossible;  being  overpowered  by  the  wind  and  tide,  they 
were  driven  upon  a  point  of  land,  where,  after  they  had  fallen  asleep  through  fatigue,  they  were 
surprised  and  captured.  With  these  men  Lamazee  was  permitted  to  converse,  and  soon  after  they 
were  subjected  to  horrible  and  lingering  deaths  by  torture. 


SKETCH  OF  OREGON.  379 

In  January  1813,  the  Astorians  learned  from  a  trading  vessel,  that  a  war 
had  broken  out  with  England.  A  short  time  after,  Mactavish  and  Laroque, 
partners  of  the  N.  W.  Company,  arrived  at  Astoria;  M'Dougal  and  M'Ken- 
zie  (both  Scotchmen)  were  the  only  partners  there,  and  they  unwisely  agreed 
to  dissolve  the  company  in  July.  Messrs.  Stuart  and  Clarke,  at  the  Okono- 
gan  and  Spokan  posts,  opposed  this;  but  it  was  finally  agreed  that  if  assist- 
ance did  not  soon  arrive  from  the  United  States,  they  would  abandon  the  en- 
terprise. 

M'Tavish  and  his  followers  of  the  N.  W.  Company,  again  visited  Astoria, 
where  they  expected  to  meet  the  Isaac  Todd,  an  armed  ship  from  London, 
whiclr  had  orders  "to  take  and  destroy  everything  American  on  the  northwest 
coast."  Notwithstanding  they  were  hospitably  received,  and  held  private 
conferences  with  M'Dougal  and  M'Kenzie,  the  result  of  which  was,  that 
they  sold  out  the  establishment,  furs,  &c.,  of  the  Pacific  Company  in  the 
country,  to  the  N.  W.  Company,  for  about  $58,000.  That  company  were 
thus  enabled  to  establish  themselves  in  the  country. 

Thus  ended  the  Astoria  enterprise.  Had  the  directing  partners  on  the  Co- 
lumbia been  Americans  instead  of  foreigners,  it  is  believed  that  they  would, 
notwithstanding  the  war,  have  withstood  all  their  difficulties.  The  sale  was 
considered  disgraceful,  and  the  conduct  of  M'Dougal  and  M'Kenzie  in  that 
sale  and  subsequently,  were  such  as  to  authorize  suspicions  against  their  mo- 
tives; yet  they  could  not  have  been  expected  to  engage  in  hostilities  against 
their  countrymen  and  old  friends. 

The  name  of  Astoria  was  changed  by  the  British, vto  that  of  Fort  George. 
From  1813  to  1823,  few,  if  any  American  citizens,  entered  the  countries  west 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Nearly  all  the  trade  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  and 
Missouri,  was  carried  on  by  the  Old  North  American  Fur  Company,  of 
which  Astor  was  the  head ;  and  by  the  Columbian  Fur  Company  formed  in 
1822,  composed  mainly  of  persons  who  had  been  in  the  service  of  the  N.  W. 
Company,  and  were  dissatisfied  with  it.  The  Columbia  Company  esta- 
blished posts  on  the  upper  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  the  Missouri,  and  the 
Yellow  Stone,  which  were  transferred,  in  1826,  to  the  N.  American  Company 
on  the  junction  of  the  two  bodies.  About  this  time,  the  overland  trade  with 
Santa  Fe  commenced,  caravans  passing  regularly  every  summer  between  St. 
Louis  and  that  place.  In  1824,  Ashley  of  St.  Louis  re-established  commer- 
cial communications  with  the  countries  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
built  a  trading-post  on  Ashley's  Lake  in  Utah.  (See  page  417.) 

These  active  proceedings  of  the  Missouri  Fur  Traders,  stimulated  the  N. 
American  Fur  Company  to  send  their  agents  and  attaches  beyond  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  although  they  built  no  posts.  In  1827,  Mr.  Pilcher  of  Missouri, 
went  through  the  South  Pass  with  forty-five  men,  and  wintered  on  the  head- 
waters of  the  Colorado,  in  what  is  now  the  northeast  part  of  Utah.  The 
next  year  he  proceeded  northwardly  along  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
to  near  lat.  forty-seven  degrees.  There  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1829, 
when  he  descended  Clark  River  to  Fort  Colville,  then  recently  established  at 
the  Falls,  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  which  had  a  few  years  previous, 
absorbed  and  united  the  interests  of  the  N.  W.  Company.  He  returned  to 
the  United  States,  through  the  long  and  circuitous  far  northward  route  of  the 
Upper  Columbia,  the  Athabasca,  the  Assinaboin,  Red  River,  and  the  Upper 
Missouri.  But  little  was  known  of  the  countries  through  which  Pilcher  tra- 
versed, previous  to  the  publication  of  his  concise  narrative.  The  account 
of  the  rambles  of  J.  O.  Pattie,  a  Missouri  fur  trader,  through  ISew  Mexico, 
Chihuahua,  Sonora,  and  California,  threw  some  light  on  the  geography  of 
those  countries.  In  1832,  Capt.  Bonneville,  U.  S.  army,  while  on  a  furlough, 


380  HISTORICAL   AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

led  a  party  of  one  hundred  men  from  Missouri,  over  the  mountains,  where  he 
passed  more  than  two  years  on  the  Columbia  and  the  Colorado,  in  hunting, 
trapping,  and  trading. 

About  the  same  time,  Capt.  Wyeth  of  Massachusetts,  attempted  to  esta- 
blish commercial  relations  with  the  countries  on  the  Columbia,  to  which  the 
name  of  OREGON  then  began  to  be  universally  applied.  His  plan  was 
like  that  of  Astor's,  with  the  additional  scheme  of  transporting  the  silmon  of 
the  Oregon  rivers  to  the  United  States.  He  made  two  overland  expeditions 
to  Oregon,  established  Fort  Hall  as  a  trading-post,  and  another  mainly  for 
fishing  purposes,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Willamette.  This  scheme  failed, 
owinoj  to  the  rivalry  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who  founded  the  counter 
establishment  of  Fort  Boise,  where,  offering  goods  to  the  Indians  at  lower 
prices  than  Wyeth  could  afford,  compelled  him  to  desist,  and  he  sold  out 
his  interests  to  them.  Meanwhile,  a  brig  he  had  dispatched  from  Boston,  ar- 
rived in  the  Columbia,  and  returned  with  a  cargo  of  salted  salmon,  but  the 
results  not  being  auspicious,  the  enterprise  was  abandoned. 

The  American  traders  being  excluded  by  these,  and  other  means  from 
Oregon,  mainly  confined  themselves  to  the  regions  of  the  head-waters  of  the 
Colorado  and  the  Utah  Lake,  where  they  formed  one  or  two  small  establish- 
ments, and  sometimes  extended  their  rambles  as  far  west  as  San  Francisco 
and  Monterey.  The  number  of  American  hunters  and  trappers  thus  employed 
west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  seldom  exceeded  two  hundred;  where,  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  year,  they  roved  through  the  wilds  in  search  of  furs, 
which  they  conveyed  to  their  places  of  rendezvous  in  the  mountain  valleys, 
and  bartered  with  them  to  the  Missouri  traders. 

About  the  time  of  Wyeth's  expeditions,  were  the  earliest  emigrations  to 
Oregon  of  settlers  from  the  United  States.  The  first  of  these  was  founded  in 
1834,  in  the  Willamette  Valley,  by  a  body  of  Methodists  who  went  round  by 
sea  under  the  direction  of  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Lee  and  Shepherd.  In  that 
valley  a  few  retired  servant  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  were  then  resid- 
ing, and  engaged  in  herding  caiile  The  Congregationalisms  or  Presbyterians 
planted  colonies  two  or  three  years  after,  in  the  Walla-wnlla  and  Spokan 
countries,  with  Messrs.  Parker,  Spaulding,  Gray,  Walker,  Eels,  Smith,  and 
Whitman  as  missionaries. 

In  all  of  these  places  mission  schools  were  established  for  the  instruction 
of  the  natives,  and  in  1839,  a  printing  press  was  started  at  Walla-walla, 
where  were  printed  the  first  sheets  ever  struck  off,  on  the  Pacific  side  of  the 
mountains  north  of  Mexico.  On  it  books  were  printed  from  types  set 
by  native  compositors.  The  Roman  Catholics  from  Missouri,  soon  after 
founded  stations  on  Clark  River. 

About  the  year  1837,  the  American  people  began  to  be  deeply  interested 
in  the  subject  of  the  claims  of  the  Unitea  States  to  Oregon,  and  societies  were 
formed  for  emigration.  From  them  and  other  sources,  petitions  were  pre- 
sented to  Congress,  to  either  make  a  definite  arrangement  with  Great  Britain, 
the  other  claimant,  or  take  immediate  possession  of  the  country.  In  each 
year,  from  1838  to  .1843,  small  parties  emigrated  overland  from  Missouri  to 
Oregon,  suffering  much  hardship  on  the  route.  At  the  close  of  1842,  the 
American  citizens  there  numbered  about  four  hundred.  Relying  upon  the 
promise  of  protection  held  out  by  the  passage  of  the  bill  in  February,  1843, 
by  the  U.  S.  Senate  for  the  immediate  occupation  of  Oregon,  about  one  thou- 
sand emigrants,  men,  women,  and  children,  assembled  at  Westport,  on  the 
Missouri  frontier  in  the  succeeding  June,  and  followed  the  route  up  the  Platte, 
and  through  the  South  Pass,  surveyed  the  previous  year  by  Fremont ;  thence 
by  Fort  Hail  to  the  Willamette  Valley,  where  they  arrived  in  October,  after  a 


PINE   FOPvEST.    OUEG( 
iketch.  was  39  feet  and  (i 


.     •'  The  largest  tree  of  1 
fe-t  above  the  ground,  and  bad  a  bark  11  inches  thick.     The  height  was  thought  to 
be  upward  of  250  feet,  and  the  tree  was  perfectly  straight  " 


SKETCH  OF  OREGON.  383 

.aborious  and  fatiguing  journey  of  more  than  two  thousand  miles.  Others 
soon  followed,  and  betore  the  close  of  the  next  year,  over  3000  American 
citizens  were  in  Oregon. 

By  the  treaty  for  the  purchase  of  Florida  in  1819,  the  boundary  between 
the  Spanish  possessions  and  the  United  States  was  fixed  on  the  N.  YV.,  at  lat. 
forty-two  degrees,  the  present  northern  line  of  Utah  and  California;  by  this, 
the  United  States  succeeded  to  such  title  to  Oregon  as  Spain  may  have  derived, 
by  the  right  of  discovery  through  its  early  navigators.  In  June  of  1846,  all 
the  difficulties  in  relation  to  Oregon,  which  at  one  time  threatened  war,  were 
settled  by  treaty  between  the  two  nations.  In  general  terms,  the  treaty  esta- 
blished lat.  forty-nine  degrees,  as  the  northern  boundary;  British  subjects 
were  allowed  the  free  navigation  of  the  Columbia,  and  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  and  all  British  subjects,  were  to  be  continued  in  possession  of 
whatever  land  or  property  they  at  that  time  held  in  Oregon. 

The  principal  obstacles  to  a  previous  settlement,  had  been  the  influence  of 
that  company.  The  English  people  at  large,  knew  little  of,  and  took  but 
slight  interest  in,  the  country.  The  British  first,  through  the.N.  W.  Company, 
and  then  through  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  (into  which  the  former  became 
absorbed),  from  1814  up  to  1840,  had  enjoyed  the  almost  exclusive  use  of 
Oregon.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  received  from  the  British  government, 
to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  British  subjects,  the  exclusive  right  to  trade  west 
of  the  Rocky  mountains,  where  the  fur-bearing  animals  were  more  abundant 
than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world. 

The  constitution  of  the  Company  is  such  as  to  secure  knowledge  and  pru- 
dence in  council,  and  readiness  and  exactness  in  execution.  Their  treatment 
of  the  Indians,  admirably  combined  policy  and  humanity.  Ardent  spirits 
were  prohibited  from  being  sold  to  them;  schools  for  the  instruction  of  the 
Indian  children,  were  established  at  each  of  the  trading-posts,  and  hospitals 
for  the  sick;  missionaries  of  various  sects  were  encouraged  and  fostered;  and  all 
emigrants  from  the  United  States  and  elsewhere,  were  treated  with  the  utmost 
kindness  and  hospitality.  But  no  sooner  did  any  of  them  attempt  to  hunt, 
or  trap,  or  to  trade  with  the  natives,  than  the  competition  of  the  body  was 
turned  against  him,  and  he  was  compelled  to  desist.  As  the  fur  trade  began 
to  decline,  the  company  turned  their  attention  to  agriculture,  lumbering,  fish- 
ing, and  other  pursuits. 

In  1841,  the  coast  of  Oregon  was  visited  by  the  ships  of  the  United  Ex- 
ploring Expeditions  under  Lieut.  Charles  Wilkes.  He  arrived  in  the  sloop 
of  war  Vincennes,  off  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  on  the  27th  of  April ;  but 
finding  it  hazardous  to  attempt  the  entrance,  he  sailed  to  the  Straits  of  Fuca, 
the  southern  boundary  of  Vancouver's  Island,  and  anchored  in  Puget's  sound, 
near  Fort  Nasqually,  from  which  he  dispatched  several  surveying  parties  into 
the  interior.  One  of  these  crossed  the  great  westernmost  range  of  mountains 
to  the  Columbia;  and  having  visited  the  British  trading-posts  of  Okonogan, 
Colville,  and  Walla-walla,  returned  to  Nasqually.  Another  party  proceeded 
southward  to  the  Cowelitz,  a  stream  running  south,  and  emptying  into  Co- 
lumbia River  about  forty  miles  from  the  ocean.  From  the  mouth  of  the  Cowe- 
litz, they  went  up  the  Columbia  to  Walla-walla,  and  down  again  to  the 
ocean.  In  the  meantime,  other  parties  were  engaged  in  surveying  the  coasts 
and  harbors  on  the  Pacific,  the  Straits  of  Fuca,  and,  Admiralty  Inlet;  and  pai 
ticularly  in  exploring  the  valleys  of  the  Willamette,  emptying  into  the  Colum- 
bia, and  of  the  Sacramento  River  of  California.  During  the  performance  of 
these  duties,  the  sloop  of  war  Peacock  was  lost  on  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia;  but  the  crew,  instruments  and  papers  were  saved. 

At  that  time,  Wilkes  estimated  the  population  to  be:  of  Indians,  19,199$; 


384  HISTORICAL   AND    DESCRIPTIVE 

Canadians  and  half-breeds,  six  hundred  and  fifty,  and  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  at  one  hundred  and  fifty.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  then 
had  twenty-five  forts  and  trading  stations  in  Oregon.  Dr.  M'Laughlin,  the  exe- 
cutive officer  of  the  company,  was  kind  to  the  American  settlers,  and  although 
a  Catholic,  was  noted  for  his  hospitality  to  the  Methodist  and  Presbyterian 
missionaries.  The  charter  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  precluding  them 
from  engaging  in  agriculture,  its  officers,  agents,  and  servants  organized 
another  company  for  this  purpose,  with  a  capital  of  two  millions,  called  the 
Puget  Sound  Company.  They  began  by  making  large  importations  of  stock 
from  California,  and  some  of  the  choicest  breeds  from  England.  They  en- 
tered into  farming  on  an  extensive  scale.  Almost  all  their  trading  establish- 
ments have  been  changed  into  agricultural  ones,  and  all  their  stations  and 
forts  and  the  Russian  ports,  on  the  north,  were  then  almost  entirely  supplied 
by  them  with  wheat,  butter,  and  cheese. 

Among  the  most  marked  incidents  in  the  recent  history  of  Oregon,  has 
been  the  Cayuse  war,  in  the  winter  of  1847-'8.  It  grew  out  of  these  circum- 
stances: The  Rev.  Dr.  Whitman,  a  Presbyterian  missionary,  wrho,  beside 
his  religious  duties,  had  established  a  fort  and  trading-post  in  the  Walla- 
walla  valley,  and  employed  large  numbers  of  Indians  and  emigrants  in  agri- 
culture. Many  of  these  Cayuse  Indians  had  under  his  guidance  become 
partially  civilized,  and  were  good  farmers.  He  was  eminent  for  his  hospi- 
tality to  the  newly-arrived  and  exhausted  emigrants,  and  was  popular  with  all. 
His  lady  was  also  remarkable  for  her  kindness,  and  at  that  time  was  adminis- 
tering to  the  Indians  for  the  measles,  which  extensively  prevailed  among 
them.  Many  dying  of  the  disease,  they  became  suspicious  that  they  were 
poisoned  by  the  medicines  given  them  by  the  Whitmans.  On  the  29th  of 
November,  about  noon,  the  Indians  rushed  into  the  fort,  murdered  Dr.  Whit- 
man and  lady,  and  thirteen  others;  took  sixty-one  persons  prisoners,  and 
burnt  the  fort  and  houses  of  the  settlement.  Upon  the  receipt  of  the  news  in 
the  Willamette  settlements,  troops  were  raised,  and  the  Indians  defeated  in 
three  battles,  and  their  villages  and  provisions  destroyed.  The  prisoners  were 
eventually  released,  through  the  praiseworthy  efforts  of  Peter  Sken  Ogden, 
Esq.,  chief  factor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 

OREGON  was  organized  as  a  territory  in  1848.  It  has  an  average  width 
east  and  west,  of  about  six  hundred  and  eighty  miles,  and  north  and  south  of 
five  hundred  miles,  giving  an  area  of  about  340,000  square  miles.  It  is  di- 
vided into  three  natural  sections : — 

First  Section,  is  that  between  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  the  President's  range 
or  Cascade  mountains.  The  Cascade  range  runs  parallel  with  the  sea-coast, 
the  whole  length  of  the  territory,  and  is  continued  through  California,  under 
the  name  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  It  rises  in  many  places  in  conical  peaks,  to 
the  height  of  12,000  and  14,000  feet,  or  over  two  miles  above  the  level  of  the 
ocean.  The  distance  from  the  sea-shore  to  this  chain  is  from  one  hundred 
to  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles;  there  are  a  few  mountain  passes,  but  they  are 
difficult,  and  only  to  be  attempted  late  in  the  spring  and  summer.  The  cli- 
mate of  this  section  is  mild  throughout  the  year,  neither  experiencing  the  ex- 
treme cold  of  winter,  or  the  heat  of  summer.  The  prevailing  winas  in  the 
summer  are  from  the  northward  and  westward,  and  in  winter,  trom  the  south- 
ward, and  westward,  and  southeast,  which  are  tempestuous.  The  winter  is 
supposed  to  last  from  December  to  February.  Rains  usually  begin  to  fall  in 
November,  and  last  until  March;  but  they  are  not  heavy,  though  frequent. 
,Snow  sometimes  falls,  but  it  seldom  lies  over  three  days.  The  frosts  are 
•early,  occurring  in  the  latter  part  of  August ;  this,  however,  is  to  be  accounted 
.for  by  the  proximity  of  the  mountains.  Fruit-trees  blossom  early  in  April 


SKETCH   OF   OREGON.  385 

The  soil,  in  the  northern  parts,  varies  from  a  light  brown  loam  to  a  thin  vege- 
table  earth,  with  gravel  and  sand  as  a  subsoil;  in  the  middle  parts,  from  a 
rich  heavy  loam  and  unctuous  clay  to  a  deep  heavy  black  loam,  on  a  trap- 
roc,  k  ;  and  in  the  southern  (the  Willamette  valley)  the  soil  is  generally  good, 
varying  from  a  black  vegetable  loam  to  decomposed  basalt,  with  stiff  clay,  and 
portions  of  loose  gravel-soil.  The  hills  are  gem-rally  basalt,  ^and  stone,  and 
slate;  between  the  Umpqua  River  and  the  southern  boundary  the  rocks  are 
primitive,  consisting  of  slate,  hornblende,  and  granite,  which  produce  a  gritty 
and  poor  soil ;  there  are,  however,  some  places  of  rich  prairie,  covered  with 
oaks.  It  is,  for  the  most  part,  a  well-timbered  country.  It  is  intersected 
with  the  spurs  or  offsets  from  the  Cascade  Mountains,  which  render  its  sur- 
face much  broken;  these  are  covered  with  a  dense  forest.  The  timber  con- 
sists of  pines,  firs,  spruce,  oaks  (red  and  white),  ash,  arbutus,  arbor  vitae, 
cedar,  poplar,  maple,  willow,  cherry,  and  tew,  with  a  close  undergrowth  of 
hazel,  rubus,  roses,  &c.  The  richest  and  best  soil  is  found  on  the  second  or 
middle  prairie,  and  is  best  adapted  for  agriculture ;  the  high  and  low  being 
excellent  for  pasture-land.  The  climate  and  soil  are  admirably  adapted  for 
all  kinds  of  grain — wheat,  rye,  oats,  barley,  pease,  &c.  Indian  corn  does 
not  thrive  in  any  part  of  this  territory,  as  well  as  in  the  Mississippi  valley. 
Many  fruits  appear  to  succeed  well,  particularly  the  apple  and  pear.  Vege- 
tables grow  exceedingly  well,  and  yield  most  abundantly. 

The  Second  or  middle  Section,  is  that  between  the  Cascade  and  Blue 
Mountain  range.  The  Blue  Mountains  are  irregular  in  their  course  and  oc- 
casionally interrupted,  but  generally  running  in  a  northerly  direction;  they 
commence  in  the  Klamet  range,  near  the  southern  boundary  of  the  territory; 
they  are  broken  through  by  the  Saptin  or  Snake  river,  at  the  junction  of  the 
Kooskooskee  River,  and  branch  off  in  hi'ls  of  moderate  elevation,  until  they 
again  appear  on  the  north  side  of  the  Columbia  River,  above  the  Okono^an  River, 
passing  in  a  northern  direction,  until  they  unite  with  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
in  lat.  fifty-three  degrees  N.  The  climate  of  the  middle  section  is  variable; 
during  the  summer  the  atmosphere  is  much  drier  and  warmer,  and  the  winter 
much  colder  than  in  the  western  section.  Its  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  are 
more  frequent  and  greater,  the  mercury,  at  times,  falling  as  low  as  minus  18 
degrees  of  Fahrenheit,  in  winter,  and  rising  to  108  degrees  in  the  shade  of 
summer;  the  daily  difference  of  temperature  is  about  40  degrees  Fahrenheit. 
It  has,  however,  been  found  extremely  salubrious,  possessing  a  pure  and 
healthy  air.  No  dews  fall  in  this  section.  The  soil  is,  for  the  most  part,  a 
light  sandy  loam;  in  the  valleys  a  rich  alluvial;  and  the  hills  are  generally  bar- 
ren. The  surface  is  about  one  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  western 
section,  and  is  generally  a  rolling  prairie  country.  In  the  center  of  this  sec- 
tion, and  near  and  around  the  junction  of  the  Saptin  or  Snake  and  Colum- 
bia rivers,  is  an  extensive  rolling  country,  which  is  well  adapted  for  grazing. 
South  of  the  Columbia,  and  extending  to  the  southern  boundary  of  the  terri- 
tory, it  is  destitute  of  timber  or  wood,  unless  the  wormwood  (artemisia)  may 
be  so  called,  although  there  are  portions  of  it  ,that  might  be  advantageously 
farmed. 

The  Third,  or  East  Section,  is  that  between  the  Rocky  and  the  Blue 
Mountains.  The  Rocky  Mountains  commence  on  the  Arctic  coast,  and  con- 
tinue an  almost  unbroken  chain  until  they  merge  in  the  Andes  of  South 
America.  That  part  forming  the  eastern  boundary  of  Oregon,  extending 
north  from  the  Great  South  Pass,  at  lat.  42  degrees  N.,  to  about  the  52d  de- 
gree, at  the  Committee's  Punch-bowl  Pass,  forms  an  almost  impenetrable 
barrier,  the  few  passes  between  being  very  difficult  and  dangerous.  The  cli- 
mate of  the  eastern  section  is  extremely  variable.  In  each  day  there  are  all 
48 


386  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

the  changes  incident  to  spring,  summer,  autumn  and  winter.  There  are 
places  where  small  farms  might  be  located;  but  they  are  few  in  number. 
The  soil  is  rocky  and  broken,  and  presents  an  almost  unbroken  barren  waste. 
Stupendous  mountain-spurs  traverse  it  in  all  directions,  affording  little  level 
ground.  Snow  lies  on  the  mountains,  nearly,  if  not  quite  throughout  the 
year.  It  is  exceedingly  dry  and  arid;  rains  seldom  falling,  and  but  little  snow. 
This  country  is  partially  timbered,  and  the  soil  much  impregnated  with  salts. 

The  Columbia  is  the  great  river  of  the  territory,  nearly  all  the  others  being 
its  tributaries.  Its  northern  branch,  Clark  River,  from  its  source  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains  to  near  Fort  Colville,  is  bounded  by  lofty  wooded  moun- 
tains. At  Walla-walla  it  unites  with  its  other  branch,  the  Lewis,  which  is 
not  navigable  for  even  canoes.  At  the  junction,  the  Columbia  is  1286  feet 
above  the  ocean,  and  near  three-fourths  of  a  mile  wide:  it  here  takes  its  last 
turn  to  the  westward,  pursuing  a  rapid  course  for  180  miles,  previous  to 
passing  through  the  Cascade  range,  in  a  series  of  falls  and  rapids  that  obstruct 
its  flow,  and  form  during  floods  insurmountable  barriers  to  boat  navigation, 
which  difficulties  are  now  overcome  by  portages.  Locks  and  canals  will  be 
eventually  used.  From  thence,  there  is  still  water  navigation  for  forty  miles, 
when  its  course  is  again  obstructed  by  rapids.  Thence  to  the  ocean,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  miles,  it  is  navigable  for  vessels  of  twelve  feet  draught  at 
the  lowest  stage  of  water.  To  the  south  of  the  Columbia,  the  only  three 
rivers  of  note,  are  the  Umpqua,  Rogue's,  and  the  Klamet. 

The  character  of  the  great  rivers  is  peculiar — rapid  and  sunken  much  below 
the  level  of  the  country,  running  as  it  were  in  trenches,  and  exceedingly  dif- 
ficult to  get  at  in  many  places,  owing  to  the  steep  basaltic  walls.  During 
high  water  they  are  in  many  places  confined  by  dalles,  i.  e.  narrows,  which 
back  the  water,  covering  the  islands  and  tracts  of  low  prairie,  giving  the  ap- 
pearance of  extensive  lakes.  The  dalles  of  the  Columbia,  eighty-four  miles 
below  Walla-walla,  is  a  noted  place,  where  the  river  passes  between  vast 
masses  of  rock.  Oregon  is  well  watered  by  springs,  rivulets,  and  lakes. 

The  harbors  are  more  or  less  obstructed  by  sand  brought  down  by  the 
rivers.  The  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  formerly  considered  to  be  very  danger- 
ous from  this  cause,  proves  to  be  less  so  than  was  supposed,  and  vessels  of 
sixteen  feet  draught  now  frequently  enter  and  depart  in  safety,  without  pilots 
or  buoys.  The  harbors  of  the  Straits  of  Fuca  are  equal  to  any  in  the  world, 
among  which,  that  of  Puget's  Sound  on  Admiralty  Inlet,  the  bay  running 
south  from  the  strait,  is  noted. 

It  will  be  almost  impossible  to  give  an  idea  of  the  extensive  fisheries  in  the 
rivers,  and  on  the  coast.  They  all  abound  in  salmon  of  the  finest  flavor, 
which  run  twice  a  year,  beginning  in  May  and  October,  and  appear  inex- 
haustible ;  the  whole  population  live  upon  them.  The  Columbia  produces  the 
largest,  and  probably  affords  the  greatest  numbers.  There  are  some  few  of 
the  branches  of  the  Columbia  that  the  spring-fish  do  not  enter,  but  they  are 
plentifully  supplied  in  the  fall.  The  great  fishery  of  the  Columbia  is  at  the 
Dalles;  but  all  the  rivers  are  well  supplied.  The  last  one  on  the  northern 
branch  of  the  Columbia  is  near  Colville,  at  the  Kettle  Falls ;  but  salmon  are 
found  above  this  in  the  river  and  its  tributaries.  In  the  rivers  and  sounds 
are  found  several  kinds  of  salmon,  salmon-trout,  sturgeon,  cod,  carp-sole, 
flounders,  ray,  perch,  herring,  lamprey-eels,  and  a  smelt  called  " shrow"  in 
great  abundance;  also  large  quantities  of  shell-fish,  viz.: — crabs,  clams,  oys- 
ters, mussels,  &c.,  which  are  all  used  by  the  natives,  and  constitute  the 
greater  proportion  of  their  food.  Whales,  in  numbers,  are  found  along  the 
coast,  and  are  frequently  captured  by  the  Indians  in  and  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Straits  of  Juan  de  Fuca. 


SKETCH   OF  OREGON.  387 

Abundance  of  game  exists,  such  as  elk,  deer,  antelope,  bears,  wolves,  foxes, 
muskrats,  martins,  beavers,  a  few  grizzly  bears  and  siffleurs,  which  are  eaten 
by  the  Canadians.  In  the  middle  section,  or  that  designated  by  the  rolling 
prairie,  no  game  is  found.  In  the  eastern  section  the  buffalo  is  met  with. 
The  fur-bearing  animals  are  decreasing  in  numbers  yearly;  indeed,  it  is 
very  doubtful  whether  they  are  sufficiently  numerous  to  repay  the  expense  of 
hunting  them.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  have  almost  the  exclusive  mo- 
nopoly of  this  business.  They  have  decreased,  owing  to  being  hunted  with- 
out regard  to  season.  This  is  not,  however,  the  case  to  the  north,  in  the 
British  possessions;  there  the  company  have  been  left  to  exercise  their  own 
rule,  ana  prevent  the  indiscriminate  slaughter  of  either  old  or  young,  out  of 
the  proper  season.  In  the  spring  and  fall,  the  rivers  are  literally  covered 
with  geese,  ducks,  and  other  water-fowl. 

Fort  Vancouver,  on  the  Columbia,  and  ninety  miles  from  the  ocean,  is  the 
principal  seat  of  the  British  fur  trade,  and  the  head-quarters  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company.  It  is  a  large  stockade  inclosing  many  buildings.  Here  is 
a  fine  farm,  workshops,  mills,  and  a  school.  Astoria,  or  Fort  George,  is 
eight  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River,  and  has  but  two  or  three 
buildings. 

In  this  neighborhood  are  forests  of  pine,  which  have  long  been  noted  for 
their  beauty  and  size.  Lieut.  Wilkes  thus  speaks  of  them:  "Short  excur- 
sions were  made  by  many  of  us  in  the  vicinity,  and  one  of  these  was  to  visit 
the  primeval  forest  of  pines  in  the  rear  of  Astoria,  a  sight  well  worth  seeing. 
Mr.  Drayton  took  a  camera  lucida  drawing  of  one  of  the  largest  trees,  which 
the  opposite  plate  is  engraved  from.  It  conveys  a  good  idea  of  the  thick 
growth  of  trees,  and  is  quite  characteristic  of  this  forest.  The  soil  on  which 
this  timber  grows  is  rich  and  fertile,  but  the  obstacles  to  the  agriculturist  are 
almost  insuperable.  The  largest  tree  of  the  sketch  was  thirty-nine  feet  six 
inches  in  circumference,  eight  feet  above  the  ground,  and  had  a  bark  eleven 
inches  thick.  The  height  could  not  be  ascertained,  but  it  was  thought  to  be 
upward  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  and  the  tree  was  perfectly  straight." 
These  trees,  for  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  are  without  branches.  In 
many  places  those  which  have  fallen  down,  present  barriers  to  the  vision, 
even  when  the  traveler  is  on  horseback  ;  and  between  the  old  forest  trees  that 
are  lying  prostrate,  can  be  seen  the  tender  and  small  twig  beginning  its  journey 
to  an  amazing  height. 

Fort  Walla-walla,  or  Nezperces,  is  on  the  south  side  of  the  Columbia,  ten 
miles  below  the  mouth  of  Lewis  River.  Fort  Colville  is  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Clark  River,  above  Fort  Okonogan.  Okonogan  and  Spokan,  on 
Spokan  River,  were  the  first  fur  trading  establishments  of  the  company  of 
John  Jacob  Astor  in  Oregon.  The  mountains  in  the  view,  are  part  of  the 
Blue  Mountain  range,  which  rise  to  a  great  height.  Okonogan  is  now  kept 
up  as  a  depot  for  supplies.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  have  various  other 
trading-posts  throughout  the  country. 

The  American  settlements  in  Oregon,  are  confined  to  the  western  section 
of  Oregon,  and  are  principally  in  the  beautiful  and  fertile  valley  of  the  Wil- 
lamette. Oregon  City  is  two  thousand  three  hundred  miles  from  St.  Louis, 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  Willamette,  just  below  the  falls,  at  the  head  of  navi- 
gation, and  about  eighteen  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  It  is  the 
largest  town  in  Oregon.  In  1848,  it  contained  one  Methodist  and  one  Catho- 
lic church,  a  public  library,  one  newspaper  printing-office,  one  female  board- 
ing-school, one  day-school,  five  stores,  three  hotels,  two  flouring  and  two  saw- 
mills, and  six  hundred  and  fifty  inhabitants.  It  has  since  much  increased. 
Milwaukie,  Plymouth,  Portland,  and  Salem,  on  the  Willamette,  and  Cascade 


388  HISTORICAL  AND   DESCRIPTIVE 

on  the  Columbia,  are  promising  places.  In  1848,  the  total  white  population 
was  about  nine  thousand:  in  1850,  it  had  probably  doubled,  owing,  in  £ 
measure,  to  the  impulse  it  has  received  from  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
California. 

We  conclude  this  article  by  extracting  first  from  a  message  of  Gov.  Lane 
to  the  Legislature  of  Oregon,  and  second,  from  a  published  letter  of  the  Hon. 
Samuel  R.  Thurston,  member  of  Congress  from  Oregon.  They  give  valuable 
items  respecting  the  soil,  climate,  and  productions  of  the  country.  The  fore- 
going statements  on  the  same  same  points,  are  derived  mainly  from  Wilkes. 

"  We  can  recognize  in  Oregon  the  material  of  her  future  greatness  ;  a  cli- 
mate and  a  soil  extraordinarily  productive,  eminently  characterize  it;  the 
prolific  growth  of  grain,  vegetables  and  grapes ;  the  natural  meadows,  un- 
touched by  the  hand  of  cultivation,  sufficiently  extensive  to  furnish  subsis- 
tence to  innumerable  herds  of  cattle  during  the  entire  year.  Inexhaustible 
forests  of  the  finest  fir  and  cedar  in  the  world;  never  failing  streams  which 
furnish  water  power  of  unlimited  capacity,  show  how  lavishly  nature  has  be- 
stowed her  blessings  upon  this  favored  land.  With  the  development  of  her 
agricultural  resources,  and  the  improvement  of  her  immense  water  power,  she 
can  supply  the  entire  Pacific  coast  with  the  most  important  of  the  necessaries 
of  life,  and  many  of  the  staple  articles  of  commerce.  Her  immense  resources 
are  gradually,  but  surely  being  developed  ;  her  mineral  wealth  at  present  is 
not  to  be  computed  ;  gold  has  been  found  in  several  places,  in  sufficient  quan- 
tities to  induce  the  belief  that  there  are  mines,  perhaps  extensive  ones,  of 
this  precious  metal  within  the  borders  of  our  territory  ;  iron,  lead  and  coal, 
are  known  to  exist,  and  the  indications  of  their  abundance  are  of  the  most 
flattering  description." 

Mr.  Thurston  writes  as  follows  :  "  Middle  Oregon,  that  part  between  the 
President's  Range  or  the  Cascade  Mountains  and  the  Blue  Mountains,  not  only 
has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  finest  grazing  countries  in  the  world,  but 
is  so,  is  susceptible  of  sustaining  a  dense  population,  and  is  ultimately  des- 
tined to  do  so.  The  climate  of  middle  Oregon  is,  undoubtedly,  the  best  in 
the  world.  While  it  is  almost  free  from  snows,  it  is  subject  to  but  moderate 
rains  ;  while  its  long  summers  are  one  continued  holiday  of  sporting  sunshine, 
its  winters  are  but  moderately  rainy.  Its  waters  are  nowhere  to  be  surpassed 
for  either  coolness,  purity  or  flavor;  and  taken  all  in  all,  middle  Oregon  is 
one  of  the  fair  spots  of  nature,  but  for  ten  or  fifteen  years  to  come,  will  not 
be  needed  for  settlement.  Western  Oregon  is  amply  large  to  swallow  up  all 
the  emigrants  who  will  find  their  way  thither  for  a  Ion?  time  to  come.  This 
section  can  bid  defiance  to  any  other  place  within  the  limits  of  the  United 
States.  I  must  refrain  from  a  description,  because  to  do  it  justice  would  take 
more  time  than  I  have  to  devote. 

"The  productions  of  the  two  western  divisions  of  Oregon,  are  such  as  are 
produced  in  any  of  the  northern  States.  As  the  country  is  never  subject  to 
not  weather,  and  its  nights  being  cool,  it  follows,  of  course,  that  corn  does 
not  £row  so  spontaneously  as  in  the  western  States.  Yet,  good  crops  of  corn 
may  be  raised  by  attending  to  its  cultivation,  as  they  do  in  New  England,  'it 
should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  we  have  no  particular  use  for  corn, 
as  wheat,  oats,  barley  and  rye,  can  be  raised  much  more  abundantly  and  with 
!••  cost;  yet,  I  have  seen  as  stout  corn  growing  there,  as  lever  did  any- 
where. For  raising  the  other  kinds  of  grains,  those  I  have  mentioned,  and 
buck  wheat,  and  peas,  and  beans,  no  country  can  surpass  Oregon.  And  as  to 
its  vegetable  productions,  I  venture  nothing  in  saying,  it  can  vie  with  any 
country. 

"  As  to  the  general  average  of  the  thermometer  in  winter  and  summer,  I 


OKONOGAN,    OREGON. 

"Okonogan  and  Spokan,  on  Spokan  River,  were  tha  first  fur  trading  establishments 
»f  the  Company  of  John  Jacob  Astor  in  Oregon  " 


,- 


SKETCH    OF  CALIFORNIA.  391 

am  not  able  to  say;  but  the  weather  is  very  temperate,  alike  in  summer  and 
winter.  Oregon  City  is  in  latitude  almost  46  deg.  north  (about  that  of  Mon- 
treal,  Canada),  and  yet,  the  river  did  not  approximate  to  freezing  over  last 
winter  (1849-'50),  though  it  was  the  coldest  that  had  been  for  thirty  years  ; 
and  it  is  frequently  the  case,  that  vegetables  grow  in  the  garden  the  entire 
winter.  While  in  the  summer  one  has  very  little  need  of  thin  clothes,  never 
is  he  subject  to  those  hot  days  which  cause  him  to  take  refuge  in  the  shade, 
or  oppressed  with  those  sultry  nights  which  take  away  his  sleep,  and  sweat 
out  his  very  life  blood.  Oregon  is  an  extraordinarily  healthy  country.  The 
climate  is  free  from  those  sudden  changes  from  heat  to  cold,  from  the  oppres- 
sive, still  and  sultry  day  to  the  warring  elements  of  a  tempest-riven  evening. 
Wherever  there  is  a  sultry,  impure  and  pent  up  atmosphere,  ther*e  are  thunder 
storms,  tempests  and  tornadoes.  With  these  we  are  rarely  visited.  This,  of 
itself,  is  evidence  of  the  purity  of  our  atmosphere,  and,  consequently,  of  the 
healthiness  of  our  climate. 

"  We  have  two  seasons,  the  wet  and  dry.  The  length  of  each  is  variable, 
the  same  as  the  summers  and  winters  in  the  States.  In  the  fall  we  have  an 
introduction  of  rain  the  last  of  September  or  the  first  of  October,  after  which 
it  clears  off  and  continues  fair  for  a  time,  varying  from  four  to  six  weeks, 
when  the  winter  or  rainy  season  sets  in.  A  very  respectable  proportion  of 
the  wet  season  is  made  up  of  fair  days — days  which  are  cloudy  and  have  no 
rain  at  all,  and  days  part  clear  and  part  cloudy,  and  days  all  the  time  cloudy ; 
but  during  which  it  does  not  rain  to  hurt.  This  explains  the  true  state  of 
the  weather.  For  two  or  three  days  it  may  rain  steadily  and  hard,  the  streams 
rising  high ;  then  it  will  slack  away  and  continue  for  a  week  or  more  clear, 
cloudy  and  drizzling  in  turn,  during  which  time  our  people  attend  to  their 
business  out  of  doors,  plow,  build  fences,  £c.,  without  any  inconvenience  ; 
and  while  doing  it,  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  our  fringed  mittens,  buffalo 
robes,  or  ears  tied  up.  It  is  warm  and  mild,  and  we  work  with  healthy 
sinews,  and  with  pleasure,  the  song  or  whistle  cheering  on  the  plowman  or 
axman,  as  barehanded,  and  in  his  shirt  sleeves  in  the  dead  of  winter,  he  pur- 
sues his  pleasant  labors.  In  March  the  rains  begin  to  slack  away,  the  fair 
weather  increases,  and  showers  continue  until  April  and  sometimes  to  May ; 
but  the  rainy  season  may  be  said  to  close  up  in  March.  Our  summer  season, 
after  the  showers  entirely  cease,  is  made  up  of  continued  sunshine,  and  star- 
bestudded,  and  moonlight  nights,  for  clouds  rarely  venture  to  our  skies  in  the 
summer  season.  All  concede  that  an  Oregon  summer  is  unrivaled  in  plea- 
santness and  beauty." 


CALIFORNIA. 

THE  word  California  is  derived  from  two  Spanish  words,  caliente  fornalla, 
or  homo,  meaning,  in  English,  hot  furnace,  which  is  a  name  appropriately 
appli'ed,  as  the  sun  pours  down  in  the  valleys  through  a  dry  atmosphere  with 
unmitigated  power,  increased  by  reflection  from  the  sides  of  the  canons  or 
gorges,  and  mountains,  and  surface  of  the  streams. 

California,  under  the  Mexicans,  was  divided  into  two  parts,  respectively 
called  Lower  and  Upper,  or  Alta  California.  Lower,  or  old  California,  com- 
prises the  narrow  peninsula  lying  between  the  gulf  of  the  same  name,  and 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  Upper,  or  New  California,  comprised  all  of  Mexico 
north  of  that  point  which,  in  general  terms,  was  bounded  on  the  south  by 
Lower  California  and  the  Gila  River,  north  by  Oregon,  east  by  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  west  by  the  Pacific,  being  an  immense  tract  of  country,  con- 


392  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

taining  near  four  hundred  thousand  square  miles,  or  nearly  nine  times  that  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  By  the  treaty  which  ended  the  war  with  Mexico, 
that  power  ceded  the  whole  of  Upper  California  to  the  United  States.  It 
now  includes  the  western  part  of  New  Mexico,  which,  by  Act  of  Congress  in 
1850,  was  extended  westward  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains,  so  as  to  include 
a  large  part  of  its  southern  half — the  whole  of  the  Mormon  territory  of  Utah 
or  Deseret,  and  the  State  of  California. 

California  was  discovered  in  1548,  by  Cabrillo,  a  Spanish  navigator.  In 
1758,  Sir  Francis  Drake  visited  its  northern  coast,  and  named  the  country 
New  Albion.  The  original  settlements  in  California  were  mission  establish- 
ments, founded  by  Catholic  priests  for  the  conversion  of  the  natives.  In 
1769,  the  mission  of  San  Diego  was  founded  by  Padre  Junipero  Serra. 
In  the  succeeding  thirteen  years,  at  the  close  of  which  the  good  Padre  died, 
he  labored  with  indefatigable  zeal,  and  founded  nine  missions,  which  were, 
eventually,  increased  by  his  successors  to  twenty-one  in  number. 

The  mission  establishments  were  made  of  adobe,  or  sun  burnt  bricks,  and 
contained  commodious  habitations  for  the  priests,  store-houses,  offices,  mechanic 
shops,  granaries,  horse  and  cattle  pens,'  and  apartments  for  the  instruction  of 
Indian  youth.  Around  and  attached  to  each,  were,  varying  in  different  mis- 
sions, from  a  few  hundred  to  several  thousand  Indians,  who  generally  resided 
in  conical-shaped  huts  in  the  vicinity,  their  place  of  dwelling  being  generally 
called  the  rancheria.  Attached  to  each  mission  were  a  few  soldiers,  for  pro- 
tection against  hostilities  from  Indians. 

The  missions  extended  their  possessions  from  one  extremity  of  the  territory 
to  that  of  the  other,  and  bounded  the  limits  of  one  mission  by  that  of  the 
next,  and  so  on.  Though  they  did  not  require  so  much  land  for  agriculture, 
and  the  maintenance  of  their  stock,  they  appropriated  the  whole ;  always 
strongly  opposing  any  individual  who  might  wish  to  settle  on  any  land  be- 
tween them. 

All  the  missions  were  under  the  charge  of  the  priests  of  the  order  of  San 
Francisco.  Each  mission  was  under  one  of  the  fathers  who  had  despotic 
authority.  The  general  products  of  the  missions  were  large  cattle,  sheep, 
horses,  Indian  corn,  beans  and  peas.  Those  in  the  southern  part  of  Cali- 
fornia, produced  also  the  grape  and  olive  in  abundance.  The  most  lucrative 
product  was  the  large  cattle,  their  hides  and  tallow  affording  an  active  com- 
merce with  foreign  vessels,  and  being,  indeed,  the  main  support  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  territory. 

From  1800  to  1830,  the  missions  were  in  the  height  of  their  prosperity. 
Then,  each  mission  was  a  little  principality,  with  its  hundred  thousand  acres 
and  its  twenty  thousand  head  of  cattle.  All  the  Indian  population,  except 
the  "  Gentiles  "  of  the  mountains,  were  the  subjects  of  the  padres,  cultivating 
for  them  their  broad  lands,  and  reverencing  them  with  devout  faith. 

The  spacious  galleries,  halls  and  court-yards  of  the  missions,  exhibited 
every  sign  of  order  and  good  government,  and  from  the  long  adobe  houses 
flanking  them,  an  obedient  crowd  came  forth  at  the  sound  of  morning  and 
evening  chimes.  The  tables  of  the  padres  were  laden  with  the  finest  fruits 
and  vegetables  from  their  thrifty  gardens  and  orchards,  and  flasks  of  excellent 
wine  from  their  own  vineyards.  The  stranger  who  came  that  way,  was  en- 
tertained with  a  lavish  hospitality,  for  which  all  recompense  was  proudly  re- 
fused, and  on  leaving,  was  welcome  to  exchange  his  spent  horse  for  his  pick 
out  of  the  cabadella.  Nearly  all  the  commerce  of  the  country  with  other 
nations  was  in  their  hands.  Long  habits  of  management  and  economy,  gave 
them  a  great  aptitude  for  business  of  all  kinds,  and  each  succeeding  year  wit- 
nessed an  increase  of  their  wealth  and  authority. 


SKETCH  OF  CALIFORNIA.  393 

The  wealth  and  power  in  possession  of  the  missions,  excited  the  jealousy 
of  the  Mexican  authorities.  In  1833,  the  government  commenced  a  series 
of  decrees,  which  eventually  ruined  them.  They  made  them  public  property; 
converted  them  into  parishes ;  and  the  padres,  from  being  virtual  sovereigns  of 
their  domains,  became  merely  curates  with  only  spiritual  powers  over  their 
former  subjects.  They  no  longer  could  superintend  the  cultivation  of  the 
lands,  and  the  Indians  being  deprived  of  their  patient  guidance,  relapsed  into 
habits  of  stupidity,  and  abandoning  the  establishments,  again  resumed  their 
roving  life  among  the  mountains.  In  1845,  the  obliteration  of  the  missions 
was  completed  by  their  sale  at  auction,  and  otherwise. 

Aside  from  the  missions,  in  California,  the  inhabitants  were  nearly  all 
gathered  in  the  presidios,  or  forts,  and  in  the  villages,  called  "Los  PueMos" 

The  presidios,  or  fortresses,  were  occupied  by  a  few  troops  under  the  com- 
mand of  a  military  prefect  or  governor.  The  object  of  these  was  to  protect 
the  country  and  the  missions  against  the  Indians.  In  early  times,  the  com- 
mandants of  these  presidios  were  under  the  absolute  control  of  the  missions. 
The  Padre  President,  or  Bishop,  was  the  supreme  civil,  military  and  religious 
ruler  of  the  province.  There  were  four  presidios  in  California,  each  of 
which  had  under  its  protection  several  missions.  They  were  respectively, 
San  Diego,  Santa  Barbara,  Monterey,  and  San  Francisco.  These  fortresses 
consisted  of  walls  of  unburnt  brick,  and  were  of  a  square  shape,  each  side 
being  about  six  hundred  feet  in  length.  Within  the  inclosure  was  a  chapel, 
store-houses,  and  the  dwelling  of  the  commandant,  while  at  the  entrance,  were 
the  quarters  of  the  officers  and  guard.  These  were  always  located  at  a  sea- 
port, and  one  or  two  miles  from  each ;  near  the  anchoring  ground,  were 
what  were  called  castillos,  or  forts,  where  the  cannon  and  ammunition  were 
placed.  At  each  presidio,  the  commandant  had  under  him  about  eighty  cav- 
alry, a  detachment  of  artillery,  and  some  auxiliary  troops. 

Within  four  or  five  leagues  of  the  presidios,  were  certain  farms,  called 
ranchios,  which  were  assigned  for  the  use  of  the  garrisons  and  as  depositories 
of  the  cattle  and  grain  which  were  furnished  as  taxes  from  the  missions. 

Los  Pueblos,  or  towns,  grew  up  near  the  missions.  Their  first  inhabitants 
consisted  of  retired  soldiers  and  attaches  of  the  army,  many  of  whom  married 
Indian  women.  Of  the  villages  of  this  description,  there  were  but  three,  viz  : 
Los  Angelos,  San  Jose,  and  Branciforte.  In  later  times,  the  American  emi- 
grants established  one  on  the  Bay  of  Francisco,  called  Yerba  Buena,  i.  e., 
good  herb,  which  became  the  nucleus  of  the  flourishing  city  of  San  Francis- 
co. Another  was  established  by  Capt.  Sutter,  on  the  Sacramento,  called  New 
Helvetia.  The  larger  pueblos  were  under  the  government  of  an  Alcade,  or 
Judge,  in  connection  with  other  municipal  officers. 

The  policy  of  the  Catholic  priests,  who  held  absolute  sway  in  California, 
until  1833,  was  to  discourage  emigration.  Hence,  up  to  about  the  year  1840, 
the  villages  named  comprised  all  in  California,  independent  of  those  at  the 
missions ;  and  at  that  time,  the  free  whites  and  half-breed  inhabitants  in 
California  numbered  less  than  six  thousand  souls.  The  emigration  from  the 
United  States  first  commenced  in  1838 ;  this  had  so  increased  from  year  to 
year,  that  in  1846,  Col.  Fremont  had  but  little  difficulty  in  calling  to  his  aid 
some  five  hundred  fighting  men.  Some  few  resided  in  the  towns,  but  a 
majority  were  upon  the  Sacramento,  where  they  had  immense  droves  of  cat- 
tle and  horses,  and  fine  farms,  in  the  working  of  which  they  were  aided  by 
the  Indians.  They  were  eminently  an  enterprising  and  courageous  body  of 
people,  as  none  other  at  that  time  would  brave  the  perils  of  an  overland 
journey  across  lie  mountains.  In  the  ensuing  hostilities  they  rendered  im- 
portant services, 
49 


394  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

At  that  period,  the  trade  carried  on  at  the  different  towns  was  quite  exten- 
sive, and  all  kinds  of  dry  goods,  groceries  and  hardware,  owing  to  the  heavy 
duties,  ranged  about  five  hundred  per  cent,  above  the  prices  in  the  United 
States.  Mechanics  and  ordinary  hands  received  from  two  to  five  dollars  per 
day.  The  commerce  was  quite  extensive,  fifteen  or  twenty  vessels  not  un- 
frequently  being  seen  in  the  various  ports  at  the  same  time.  Most  of  the 
merchant  vessels  were  from  the  United  States,  which  arrived  in  the  spring,  and 
engaged  in  the  coasting  trade  until  about  the  beginning  of  winter,  when  they 
departed  with  cargoes  of  hides,  tallow  or  furs,  which  had  been  collected 
during  the  previous  year.  Whale  ships  also  touched  at  the  ports  for  supplies 
and  to  trade,  and  vessels  from  various  parts  of  Europe,  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
the  Russian  settlements  and  China. 

From  1826  to  1846,  the  date  of  its  conquest,  there  had  been  numerous  civil 
wars  and  revolutions  in  California  ;  but  generally  Mexican  authority  had  been 
exercised  over  it.  Of  its  conquest  by  the  United  States,  we  give  a  brief 
account : 

At  the  commencement  of  the  war  with  Mexico,  an  American  fleet  had  been 
sent  to  the  coast  of  California/ under  Com.  Sloat,  in  anticipation  of  this  event. 
On  the  7th  of  July,  1846,  Monterey,  and  on  the  9th,  San  Francisco,  were 
taken  by  the  naval  forces.  On  the  15th,  the  fleet  was  augmented  by  the  ar- 
rival of  Com.  Stockton  with  a  frigate.  On  the  17th,  Com.  Sloat  dispatched 
a  party  to  the  mission  of  St.  John,  to  obtain  cannon  and  other  munitions, 
deposited  there  by  the  enemy.  At  this  place  the  American  flag  had  already 
been  planted  by  Fremont,  whose  movements  in  California,  up  to  this  period, 
we  pause  to  relate. 

In  the  fall  preceding,  Fremont  started  on  his  third  expedition,  and  arrived 
in  the  latter  part  of  January  (1846),  within  a  hundred  miles  of  Monterey.  He 
then  left  his  party  and  proceeded  to  that  place,  and  obtained  permission  from 
its  commandant,  Gen.  De  Castro,  to  winter  with  his  train  in  the  valley  of  the 
San  Joaquin.  No  sooner,  however,  had  he  rejoined  his  party  than  he  was 
warned  by  a  messenger  from  Mr.  Larkin,  U.  S.  Consul  at  Monterey,  that  De 
Castro  was  about  to  raise  the  province  against  him.  A  number  of  the  Ameri- 
can settlers  in  the  valley  offered  to  assist  him  in  his  defense.  Fearful  of  com- 
promising them  and  his  government,  he  declined  their  aid,  and  with  rare  de- 
termination and  bravery,  he  marched  his  small  party  of  sixty-two  men  within 
thirty  miles  of  Monterey,  took  a  strong  position  in  the  mountains,  hoisted  the 
American  flag,  and  prepared  for  resistance.  But  an  approach  was  all  that  De 
Castro  attempted ;  and  having  remained  sometime,  and  finding  no  probability 
of  an  attack,  Fremont  started  in  the  month  of  March  for  Oregon. 

On  the  9th  of  May  he  was  overtaken  by  Lieut.  Gillespie,  of  the  marines, 
who  bore  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Mr.  Buchanan,  the  Secretary  of  State, 
and  private  letters  from  Senator  Benton.  From  certain  passages  in  the  let- 
ter, Fremont  inferred  that  the  government  desired  that  he  should  ascertain  and 
counteract  any  schemes  which  foreigners  might  have  in  relation  to  the  Cali- 
fornias.  This,  with  verbal  information  from  Gillespie,  determined  him  to  re- 
turn to  the  settled  vicinity  of  the  Sacramento. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  Fremont  learning  that  De 
Castro  was  preparing  an  expedition  at  Sonoma,  to  expel  the  American  settlers 
from  the  territory,  determined  to  overthrow  the  Mexican  authority  in  Cali- 
fornia. On  the  llth  of  June,  Fremont  seized  and  drove  off  two  hundred 
horses  on  the  way  to  De  Castro's  camp,  and  on  the  15th,  surprised  Sonoma, 
where  he  captured  Gen.  Vallejo  and  other  officers,  nine  cannon,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  muskets,  and  a  quantity  of  military  stores.  Shortly  after,  De  Castro 
meditated  an  attack  on  Sonoma ;  but  his  advance  guard  of  ninety  men  being 


SKETCH  OF  CALIFORNIA.  395 

defeated  by  twenty  Americans,  and  having  suffered  other  losses,  he  retreated 
to  the  south. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  Fremont  having  assembled  the  American  settlers  at 
Sonoma,  advised  them,  as  their  only  safety,  to  declare  independence  of  Mexi- 
co, and  prosecute  the  war.  They  followed  his  advice,  and  the  revolutionary 
flag  was  at  once  displayed.  Meanwhile,  the  events  of  the  war,  of  the  exis- 
tence of  which  Fremont  had  been  ignorant,  had  become  known  to  Commo- 
dore Sloat,  and  that  officer  had  commenced  taking  possession  of  the  towns  on 
the  coast.  The  news  of  the  acts  of  the  naval  commander  was  received  by  the 
revolutionists  soon  after  their  declaration  of  independence.  The  American 
flag  was  at  once  substituted  for  the  standard  of  revolt,  and  Fremont  proceeded 
with  his  party,  now  reinforced  by  American  settlers,  to  Monterey. 

Commodore  Stockton  constituted  the  160  men,  under  Fremont,  a  naval 
battalion,  which  sailed  to  San  Diego,  where,  united  to  the  marines,  they 
marched  up  and  occupied  Los  Angelos,  the  seat  of  government.  Here, 
Stockton  established  a  civil  government,  and  proclaimed  himself  governor. 
The  commanders  went  north,  leaving  a  small  garrison  under  Capt.  Gillespie. 
In  September,  a  Mexican  force  under  Gen.  Flores  and  Don  Pico,  led  in  a  re- 
volt, and  attacked  Angelos.  Capt.  Mervine  with  marines  from  the  Savannah, 
lying  off  the  harbor,  attempted  to  relieve  the  garrison,  but  was  driven  back, 
and  Gillespie  was  forced  to  capitulate  to  a  far  superior  enemy.  Ere  this  was 
known,  Commodore  Stockton  deeming  California  as  conquered,  had  sailed 
for  the  southern  Mexican  ports.  Fremont,  who  was  still  in  the  country, 
soon  recruited  his  battalion  from  the  American  Californians,  and  then  marched 
south  to  co-operate  in  reconquering  the  country. 

Gen.  Kearney  having  established  a  new  government  in  New  Mexico,  on 
the  25th  of  September,  departed  from  Santa  Fe,  at  the  head  of  four  hundred 
dragoons,  for  California;  but  after  having  proceeded  some  distance  down  the 
Rio  Grande,  he  was  met  by  an  express  from  Fremont,  that  California  was  al- 
ready conquered.  He,  thereupon,  sent  back  his  main  force  ;  continuing  on 
with  an  escort  of  one  hundred  men,  he  crossed  the  Rio  Grande  in  latitude  33 
deg.,  on  the  20th  of  October,  struck  the  river  Gila  at  the  copper  mines,  and 
arrived  at  its  junction  with  the  Colorado,  on  the  22d  of  November.  From 
this  point,  he  followed  on,  or  near  the  Colorado,  forty  miles,  and  from  thence 
westerly  sixty  miles,  through  an  arid  desert.  On  the  2d  of  December  he 
reached  Wamas  village,  the  frontier  settlement.  On  the  5th,  he  was  met  near 
San  Diego  by  Capt.  Gillespie,  sent  to  him  with  thirty-six  men  by  Com.  Stock- 
ton. The  next  day,  an  advance  party  of  twelve  dragoons,  and  thirty  volun- 
teers, had  an  encounter  with  one  hundred  and  sixty  mounted  Californians 
near  San  Pasqual.  The  Americans  were  victorious  ;  but  these  northern  Mexi- 
cans sold  victory  at  a  dearer  rate  than  their  southern  countrymen.  Kearney 
was  twice  wounded,  Capts.  Johnson  and  Moore,  and  Lieut.  Hammond,  and 
most  of  the  remaining  officers,  were  either  killed  or  wounded  with  nineteen 
of  the  men. 

Kearney  reached  San  Diego  on  the  12th  of  December.  On  the  29th,  by 
request  of  Stockton,  Kearney  took  command  of  five  hundred  marines,  with 
the  land  forces,  and  moved  toward  Angelos,  to  co-operate  with  Col.  Fremont 
in  quelling  the  revolt,  now  backed  by  a  Mexican  army  of  six  hundred  Mexi- 
cans under  generals  Flores  and  Pico.  These  forces  he  met  and  defeated 
at  San  Gabriel  on  the  8th  of  January.  The  next  day,  he  again  fought  and 
routed  them  at  Mesa.  The  Mexicans  then  marched  twelve  miles  past  Angelos 
to  Cowenga,  where  they  capitulated  to  Col.  Fremont,  who  had,  after  a  tedious 
wintry  march  from  the  north,  of  four  hundred  miles,  arrived  at  that  place. 

On  the  16th  of  January,  Com.  Stockton  commissioned  Fremont  as  governor, 


396  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

the  duties  of  which  he  had  discharged  about  six  weeks,  when  Gen.  Kearney, 
according  to  orders  received  from  government,  assumed  the  office  and  title  of 
Governor  of  California.  Com.  Shubrick,  who  was  now  the  naval  commander, 
co-operated  with  Kearney,  whose  forces  were  augmented  about  the  last  of 
January  by  the  arrival  of  Col.  Cooke  with  the  Mormon  battalion,  which  had 
marched  from  Council  Bluffs  to  Santa  Fe.  From  thence,  Col.  Cooke  pro- 
ceeded down  the  Rio  Grande  ;  then  sending  back  his  sick  to  the  Arkansas, 
(where  were  nine  hundred  Mormon  families  on  their  way  to  the  Salt  Lake),  he 
took  a  route  which  deviated  to  the  south  of  Kearney's,  into  the  interior 
of  Mexico,  and  through  a  better  and  more  interesting  country. 

Gen.  Kearney,  by  direction  of  government,  placing  Col.  Mason  in  the  of- 
fice  of  Governor,  on  the  16th  of  June  took  his  way  homeward  across  the 
northern  part  of  California,  and  from  thence  crossed  the  Rocky  Mountains 
through  the  South  Pass.  He  was  accompanied  by  Col's.  Fremont  and 
Cooke,  and  other  officers  and  privates  to  the  number  of  about  forty. 

Before  the  news  of  peace  was  received  in  California  a  new  era  commenced, 
in  the  discovery  of  the  gold  mines.  The  peculiar  state  of  affairs  brought  about 
by  this,  with  the  great  rush  of  population,  was  such  that  the  people  were  in  a 
measure  compelled  to  form  a  constitution  of  State  Government.  The  con- 
vention, for  this  purpose,  met  at  Monterey  in  1849,  and  on  the  12th  of  Octo- 
ber, formed  the  constitution,  which  was  adopted  by  the  people.  After  much 
delay,  California  was  admitted  into  the  Union  by  action  of  Congress,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1850. 

The  population  of  California  at  the  commencement  of  the  summer  of  1848, 
the  era  of  the  gold  discovery,  was  estimated  at  about  thirty  thousand,  viz . 
eight  thousand  Mexicans,  twelve  thousand  christianized  Indians,  and  ten 
thousand  Americans. 

CALIFORNIA,  the  most  western  State  of  the  Union,  is  about  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  long,  with  an  average  breadth  of  about  two  hundred  miles, 
giving  an  area  of  150,000  square  miles.  Its  southern  boundary  approximates 
in  latitude  to  that  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina;  its  northern  to  that  of  Bos- 
ton, Massachusetts.  This,  with  its  variation  of  surface,  gives  it  a  diversity 
of  climate  and  consequently  of  productions.  Geographically,  its  position  is 
one  of  the  best  in  the  world,  lying  on  the  Pacific  fronting  Asia. 

California  is  a  country  of  mountains  and  valleys.  The  principal  mountain 
is  the  Sierra  Nevada,  i.e.,  Snowy  Mountain.  This  Sierra  is  part  of  the  great 
mountain  range  which,  under  different  names,  extends  from  the  peninsula  of 
California  to  Russian  America.  In  Oregon  it  is  called  President's  Range, 
and  also  the  Cascade  Mountains.  This  range  is  remarkable  for  its  length, 
its  being  parallel  to  the  sea-coast,  its  great  elevation,  often  more  lofty  than 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  its  many  grand  volcanic  peaks,  reaching  high  into 
the  region  of  perpetual  snow.  Rising  singly,  like  pyramids,  from  heavily 
timbered  plateaux,  to  the  height  of  fourteen  and  seventeen  thousand  feet  above 
the  ocean,  these  snowy  peaks  constitute  the  characterizing  feature  of  the  range, 
and  distinguish  it  from  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  all  others  on  our  part  of 
the  continent.  The  Sierra  Nevada  is  the  grandest  feature  of  the  scenery  of 
California,  and  must  be  well  understood  before  the  structure  of  the  country 
and  the  character  of  its  different  divisions  can  be  comprehended.  Stretch- 
ing along  the  coast,  and  at  the  general  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  from  it,  this  great  mountain  wall  receives  the  warm  winds,  charged 
with  vapor,  which  sweep  across  the  Pacific  Ocean,  precipitates  their  accumu- 
lated moisture  in  fertilizing  rains  and  snows  upon  its  western  flank,  and  leaves 
cold  and  dry  winds  to  pass  on  to  the  east.  The  region  east  of  the  Sierra  is 
comparatively  barren  and  cold,  and  the  climates  are  distinct.  Thus,  while  in 


SKETCH  OF  CALIFORNIA.  397 

December  the  eastern  side  is  winter,  the  ground  being  covered  with  snow  and 
the  rivers  frozen,  on  the  west  it  is  spring,  the  air  being  soft,  and  the  grass 
fresh  and  green. 

West  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  is  the  inhabitable  part  of  California.  North 
and  south,  this  region  extends  about  ten  degrees  of  latitude,  from  Oregon  to  the 
peninsula  of  California.  East  and  west  it  averages,  in  the  middle  part,  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  and  in  the  northern  part,  two  hundred  miles,  giving  an 
area  of  about  100,000  square  miles.  Looking  westward  from  the  summit, 
the  main  feature  presented  is  the  long,  low,  broad  valley  of  the  Joaquin  and 
Sacramento  rivers — the  two  valleys  forming  one,  five  hundred  miles  long  and 
fifty  broad,  lying  along  the  base  of  the  Sierra,  and  bounded  on  the  west  by 
the  low  coast  range  of  mountains,  which  separates  it  from  the  sea.  Side 
ranges,  parallel  to  the  Sierra  and  the  coast,  make  the  structure  of  the  remainder 
of  California,  and  break  it  into  a  surface  of  valleys  and  mountains — the  val- 
leys a  few  hundred,  and  the  mountains  two  or  three  thousand  feet  above  the 
sea.  These  form  great  masses,  and  at  the  north  become  more  elevated,  where 
some  peaks,  as  the  Shaste — which  rises  fourteen  thousand  feet,  nearly  to  the 
height  of  Mont  Blanc — enter  the  region  of  perpetual  snow. 

The  two  rivers  San  Joaquin  and  Sacramento,  rising  at  opposite  ends  of  the 
same  great  valley,  receive  their  numerous  streams,  many  of  them  bold  rivers, 
unite  half  way,  and  enter  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco  together. 

The  Bay  of  San  Francisco  is  celebrated  as  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world, 
and  is  on  the  same  latitude  with  that  of  Lisbon.  Its  connection  with  the 
great  interior  valley,  being  the  only  water  communication  with  it,  together 
with  its  easy  communication  with  Asia,  give  it  vast  commercial  advantages. 
Approaching  it  from  the  sea,  the  coast  presents  a  bold  mountainous  outline. 
The  bay  is  entered  by  a  strait  running  east  and  west,  about  a  mile  broad  at 
its  narrowest  part,  and  five  miles  long  from  the  ocean,  when  it  opens  to  the 
north  and  south,  in  each  direction  more  than  thirty  miles.  It  is  divided  by 
straits  and  projecting  points,  into  three  separate  bays,  the  two  northern  being 
called  San  Pabloon  and  Suisun,  and  the  southern,  San  Francisco.  The  strait 
is  called  the  "Golden  Gate,"  on  the  same  principle  that  the  harbor  of  Con- 
stantinople was  called  the  "  Golden  Horn,"  viz  :  its  advantages  for  commerce. 
The  Golden  Gate  is  appropriately  alluded  to  in  the  following  verse  of  the 
"  Jenny  Lind  Prize  Song  :" 

"  I  greet  in  that  language,  the  Land  of  the  West, 
Whose  Banner  of  Stars  o'er  a  world  is  unrolled, 

Whose  Empire  o'ershadows  Atlantic's  wide  breast, 
And  opes  to  the  sunset  its  gateway  of  gold  !" 

Climate. — California  is  remarkable  in  its  periodical  changes,  and  for 
the  long  continuance  of  the  wet  and  dry  seasons,  dividing,  as  they  do,  the 
year  into  about  two  equal  parts,  which  have  a  most  peculiar  influence  on  the 
labor  applied  to  agriculture,  and  the  products  of  the  soil,  and,  in  fact,  con- 
nect themselves  inseparably  with  all  the  interests  of  the  country,  and  exercise 
a  controlling  influence  on  its  commercial  prosperity  and  resources. 

The  dry  season  commences  first,  and  continues  longest  in  the  southern 
portions  of  the  State;  and  as  low  down  as  lat.  thirty-eight  degrees,  rains  are 
sufficiently  frequent  in  summer  to  render  irrigation  quite  unnecessary  to  the 
perfect  maturity  of  any  crop  which  is  suited  to  the  soil  and  climate. 

Below  lat.  thirty-nine,  and  west  of  the  foot  hills  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  the 
forests  of  California  are  limited  to  some  scattering  groves  of  oak  in  the  val- 
leys and  along  the  borders  of  the  streams,  and  of  red  wood  on  the  ridges  and 
in  the  gorges  of  the  hills — sometimes  extending  into  the  plains.  Some^of 
the  hills  are  covered  with  dwarf  shrubs,  which  may  be  used  as  fuel.  With 


398  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE       . 

these  exceptions,  the  whole  territory  presents  a  surface  without  trees  or 
shrubbery.  It  is  covered,  however,  with  various  species  of  grass,  and  for 
many  miles  from  the  coast  with  wild  oats,  which,  in  the  valleys,  grow  most 
luxuriantly.  These  grasses  and  oats  mature  and  ripen  early  in  the  dry  sea- 
son, and  soon  cease  to  protect  the  soil  from  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun. 
As  the  summer  advances,  the  moisture  in  the  atmosphere  and  the  earth,  to  a 
considerable  depth,  soon  becomes  exhausted;  and  the  radiation  of  heat,  from 
the  extensive  naked  plains  and  hill-sides,  is  very  great. 

The  cold,  dry  currents  of  air  from  the  northeast,  after  passing  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  the  Sierra  Nevada,  descend  to  the  Pacific,  and  absorb  the 
moisture  of  the  atmosphere  to  a  great  distance  from  the  land.  The  cold  air 
from  the  mountains,  and  that  which  accompanies  the  great  ocean  current 
from  the  northwest,  thus  become  united,  and  vast  banks  of  fog  are  generated, 
which,  when  driven  by  the  wind,  has  a  penetrating  or  cutting  effect  on  the 
human  skin,  much  more  uncomfortable  than  would  be  felt  in  the  humid  at- 
mosphere of  the  Atlantic,  at  a  much  lower  temperature. 

As  the  sun  rises  from  day  to  day,  week  after  week,  and  month  after  month, 
in  unclouded  brightness  during  the  dry  season,  and  pours  down  his  unbroken 
rays  on  the  dry,  unprotected  surface  of  the  country,  the  heat  becomes  so  much 
greater  inland  than  it  is  on  the  ocean,  that  an  under-current  of  cold  air, 
bringing  the  fog  with  it,  rushes  over  the  coast  range  of  hills,  and  through  their 
numerous  passes,  toward  the  interior. 

Every  day,  as  the  heat,  inland,  attains  a  sufficient  temperature,  the  cold, 
dry  wind  from  the  ocean  commences  to  blow.  This  is  usually  from  eleven 
to  one  o'clock;  and  as  the  day  advances,  the  wind  increases,  and  continues 
to  blow  until  late  at  night.  When  the  vacuum  is  filled,  or  the  equilibrium  of 
the  atmosphere  restored,  the  wind  ceases;  a  perfect  calm  prevails  until  about 
the  same  hour  the  following  day,  when  the  same  process  commences  and  pro- 
gresses as  before,  and  these  phenomena  are  of  daily  occurrence,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, throughout  the  dry  season. 

These  cold  winds  and  fogs  render  the  climate  at  San  Francisco,  and  all 
along  the  coast  of  California,  except  the  extreme  southern  portion  of  it,  pro- 
bably more  uncomfortable,  to  those  not  accustomed  to  it,  in  summer  than  in 
winter. 

A  few  miles  inland,  where  the  heat  of  the  sun  modifies  and  softens  the 
wind  from  the  ocean,  the  climate  is  moderate  and  delightful.  The  heat,  in 
the  middle  of  the  day,  is  not  so  great  as  to  retard  labor,  or  render  exercise  in 
the  open  air  uncomfortable.  The  nights  are  cool  and  pleasant.  This  de- 
scription of  climate  prevails  in  all  the  valleys  along  the  coast  range,  and  ex- 
tends throughout  the  country,  north  and  south,  as  far  eastward  as  the  valley 
of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin.  In  this  vast  plain  the  sea-breeze  loses 
its  influence,  and  the  degree  of  heat  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  during  the 
summer  months,  is  much  greater  than  is  known  on  the  Atlantic  coast  in  the 
same  latitudes.  It  is  dry,  however,  and  probably  not  more  oppressive.  On 
the  foot-hills  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  especially  in  the  deep  ravines  of  the 
streams,  the  thermometer  frequently  ranges  from  one  hundred  and  ten 
degrees  to  one  hundred  and  fifteen  in  the  shade,  during  three  or  four  hours  of 
the  day,  say  from  eleven  until  three  o'clock.  In  the  evening,  as  the  sun  de- 
clines, the  radiation  of  heat  ceases.  The  cool,  dry  atmosphere  from  the  moun- 
tains, spreads  over  the  whole  country,  and  renders  the  nights  cool  and  invi- 
gorating. 

These  variations  of  the  climate  of  California  account  for  the  various  and 
conflicting  opinions  and  statements  respecting  it. 

A  stranger  arriving  at  San  Francisco  in  summer,  is  annoyed  by  the  cold 


-     SKETCH  OF  CALIFORNIA.  399 

winds  and  fogs,  and  pronounces  the  climate  intolerable.  A  few  months  will 
modify,  if  not  banish  his  dislike,  and  he  will  not  fail  to  appreciate  the  bene- 
ficial effects  of  a  cool,  bracing  atmosphere.  Those  who  approach  California 
overland,  through  the  passes  of  the  mountains,  find  the  heat  of  summer,  in 
the  middle  of  the  day,  greater  than  they  have  been  accustomed  to,  and  there- 
fore  many  complain  of  it. 

Those  who  take  up  their  residence  in  the  valleys  which  are  situated  be- 
tween  the  great  plain  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  and  the  coast  range 
of  hills,  find  the  climate,  especially  in  the  dry  season,  as  healthful  and  plea- 
sant as  it  is  possible  for  any  climate  to  be  which  possesses  sufficient  heat  to 
mature  the  cereal  grains  and  edible  roots  of  the  temperate  zone. 

The  division  of  the  year  into  two  distinct  seasons — dry  and  wet — impresses 
unfavorably  those  who  have  been  accustomed  to  the  variable  climate  of 
the  Atlantic  States.  The  dry  appearance  of  the  country  in  summer,  and  the 
difficulty  of  moving  about  in  winter,  seem  to  impose  serious  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  agricultural  prosperity,  while  the  many  and  decided  advantages  re- 
sulting from  the  mildness  of  winter,  and  the  bright,  clear  weather  of  summer, 
are  not  appreciated. 

Soil. — The  valleys  which  are  situated  parallel  to  the  coast  range,  and 
those  which  extend  eastwardly  in  all  directions  among  the  hills,  toward  the 
great  plain  of  the  Sacramento,  are  of  unsurpassed  fertility. 

They  have  a  deep  black  alluvial  soil,  which  has  the  appearance  of  having 
been  deposited  when  they  were  covered  with  water.  The  land  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  territory,  on  the  Trinity  and  other  rivers,  and  on  the  borders  of 
Clear  Lake,  as  far  as  it  has  been  examined,  is  said  to  be  remarkably  fertile. 

The  great  valley  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  has  evidently  been, 
at  some  remote  period,  the  bed  of  a  lake.  The  soil  is  very  rich,  and,  with  a 
proper  system  of  drainage  and  embankment,  would,  undoubtedly,  be  capable 
of  producing  any  crop,  except  sugar-cane,  now  cultivated  in  the  Atlantic 
States  of  the  Union. 

There  are  many  beautiful  valleys  and  rich  hill-sides  among  the  foot-hills 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  a  rich  belt  of  well-timbered  and  watered  country 
extending  the  whole  length  of  the  gold  region  between  it  and  the  Sierra  Ne- 
vada, some  twenty  miles  in  width. 

The  soil  described,  situated  west  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  embracing  the 
plain  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin,  covers  an  area  of  about  sixty  thou- 
sand square  miles,  and  would,  under  a  proper  system  of  cultivation,  be  ca- 
pable of  supporting  a  population  of  two  or  three  millions. 

Products. — Previous  to  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Mexico,  and  the  discovery 
of  gold,  the  exportable  products  of  the  country  consisted  almost  exclusively 
of  hides  and  tallow.  The  Californians  were  a  pastoral  people,  and  paid 
much  more  attention  to  the  raising  of  horses  and  cattle  than  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil. 

The  climate  and  soil  of  California  are  well  suited  to  the  growth  of  wheat, 
barley,  rye,  and  oats.     The  temperature  along  the  coast  is  too  cool  for  the 
successful  culture  of  maize,  as  a  field  crop.     The  fact  that  oats,  the  species 
which  is  cultivated  in  the  Atlantic  States,  are  annually  self-sowed  and  pro 
duced  on  all  the  plains  and  hills  along  the  coast,  and  as  far  inland  as  the  sea 
breeze  has  a  marked  influence  on  the  climate,  is  sufficient  proof  that  all  the 
cereal  grains  may  be  successfully  cultivated  without  the  aid  of  irrigation. 
In  the  rich  alluvial  valleys,  wheat  and  barley  have  produced  from  forty  to 
sixty  bushels  from  one  bushel  of  seed,  without  irrigation. 

Irish  potatoes,  turnips,  onions,  in  fact  all  the  edible  roots  known  and  cul- 
tivated in  the  Atlantic  States,  are  produced  in  great  perfection.  In  ail  the 


400  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

valleys  east  of  the  coast  range  of  hills,  the  climate  is  sufficiently  warm  to 
mature  crops  of  Indian  corn,  rice,  and  probably  tobacco. 

The  cultivation  of  the  grape  has  been  attended  with  much  success,  where- 
ever  it  has  been  attempted.  The  dry  season  secures  the  fruit  from  those  dis- 
eases which  are  so  common  in  the  Atlantic  States,  and  it  attains  very  great 
perfection.  The  wine  made  from  it  is  of  excellent  quality,  very  palatable, 
and  can  be  produced  in  any  quantity.  The  grapes  are  delicious,  and  produced 
with  very  little  labor. 

Apples,  pears,  and  peaches,  are  cultivated  with  facility,  and  there  is  nc 
reason  to  doubt  that  all  the  fruits  of  the  Atlantic  States  can  be  produced  in 
great  plenty  and  perfection. 

The  grasses  are  very  luxuriant  and  nutritious,  affording  excellent  pasture. 
The  oats,  which  spring  up  the  whole  length  of  the  sea-coast,  and  from  forty 
to  sixty  miles  inland,  render  the  cultivation  of  that  crop  entirely  unnecessary, 
and  yield  a  very  great  quantity  of  nutritious  food  for  horses,  cattle,  and 
sheep.  The  dry  season  matures  and  cures  these  grasses  and  oats,  so  that 
they  remain  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation  -during  the  summer  and 
autumn,  and  afford  an  ample  supply  of  forage.  While  the  whole  surface  of 
the  country  appears  parched  and  vegetation  destroyed,  the  numerous  flocks 
and  herds  which  roam  over  it  continue  in  excellent  condition. 

Although  the  mildness  of  the  winter  months  and  the  fertility  of  the  soil 
secure  to  California  very  decided  agricultural  advantages,  irrigation  would 
greatly  increase  the  products  of  the  soil  in  quantity  and  variety,  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  dry  season. 

A  system  of  drainage,  which  would  also  secure  irrigation,  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  give  value  to  the  great  plain  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin. 
This  valley  is  so  extensive  and  level,  that  if  the  rivers  passing  through  it 
were  never  to  overflow  their  banks,  the  rain  which  falls  in  winter  would  ren- 
der a  greater  portion  of  it  unfit  for  cultivation.  The  foundation  of  such  a 
system  can  only  be  established  in  the  survey  and  sale  of  the  land.  This  can 
be  done  by  laying  out  canals  and  drains  at  suitable  distances,  and  in  proper 
directions,  and  leaving  wide  margins  to  the  rivers,  that  they  may  have  plenty 
of  room  to  increase  their  channels  when  their  waters  shall  be  confined  within 
them  by  embankments. 

The  farmer  derives  some  very  important  benefits  from  the  dry  season.  His 
crops  in  harvest-time  are  never  injured  by  rain;  he  can  with  perfect  confi- 
dence permit  them  to  remain  in  his  fields  as  long  after  they  have  been  gathered 
as  his  convenience  may  require ;  he  has  no  fears  that  they  will  be  injured  by 
wet  or  unfavorable  weather.  Hence  it  is,  that  many  who  have  long  been  ac- 
customed to  that  climate,  prefer  it  to  the  changeable  weather  east  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

As  already  stated,  the  forests  of  California,  south  of  lat.  39  degrees,  and 
west  of  the  foot-hills  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  are  limited  to  detached,  scattering 
groves  of  oak  in  the  valleys,  and  of  red-wood  on  the  ridges  and  on  the  gorges 
of  the  hills. 

When  the  dry  season  sets  in,  the  entire  surface  is  covered  with  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  grass  and  oats,  which,  as  the  summer  advances  become  perfectly 
dry.  The  remains  of  all  dead  trees  and  shrubs  also  become  dry.  These 
materials,  therefore,  are  very  combustible,  and  usually  take  fire  in  the  latter 
part  of  summer  and  beginning  of  autumn,  which  commonly  passes  over  the 
whole  country,  destroying  in  its  course  the  young  shrubs  and  trees.  In  fact, 
it  seems  to  be  the  same  process  which  has  destroyed  or  prevented  the  growth 
of  forest  trees  on  the  prairies  of  the  Western  States,  and  not  any  quality  in 
the  soil  unfriendly  to  their  growth. 


SKETCH  OF  CALIFORNIA.  401 

The  absence  of  timber  and  the  continuance  of  the  dry  season  are  apt  to  be 
regarded  by  farmers  on  first  going  into  the  country,  as  irremediable  defects, 
and  as  presenting  obstacles  almost  insurmountable  to  the  successful  progress 
of  agriculture.  A  little  experience  will  modify  these  opinions. 

It  is  soon  ascertained  that  the  soil  will  produce  abundantly  without  manure ; 
that  flocks  and  herds  sustain  themselves  through  the  winter  without  being  fed 
at  the  farm-yard,  and,  consequently,  no  labor  is  necessary  to  provide  forage 
for  them ;  that  ditches  are  easily  dug,  which  present  very  good  barriers  for 
the  protection  of  crops,  until  live  fences  can  be  planted  and  have  time  to 
grow.  Forest-trees  may  be  planted  with  little  labor,  and  in  very  few  years 
attain  a  sufficient  size  for  building  and  fencing  purposes.  Time  may  be  use- 
fully employed  in  sowing  various  grain  and  root  crops  during  the  wet  or  win- 
ter season.  There  is  no  weather  cold  enough  to  destroy  root  crops,  and, 
therefore,  it  is  not  necessary  to  gather  them.  They  can  be  used  or  sold  from 
the  field  where  they  grow.  The  labor,  therefore,  required  in  most  of  the  old 
States  to  fell  the  forests,  clear  the  land  of  rubbish,  and  prepare  it  for  seed, 
may  here  be  applied  to  other  objects. 

All  these  things,  together  with  the  perfect  security  of  all  crops  in  harvest- 
time,  from  injury  by  wet  weather,  are  probably  sufficient  to  meet  any  expense 
which  may  be  incurred  in  irrigation,  or  caused  for  a  time,  by  a  scanty  supply 
of  timber. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  territory,  above  lat.  39  degrees,  and  on  the  hills, 
which  rise  from  the  great  plain  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin,  to  the 
foot  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  the  forests  of  timber  are  beautiful  and  extensive, 
and  would,  if  brought  into  use,  be  sufficiently  productive  to  supply  the  wants 
of  the  southern  and  western  portions  of  the  State. 

The  preceding  description  of  the  climate,  soil,  and  productions  of  Califor- 
nia, is  from  the  report  of  the  Hon.  T.  Butler  King.  Much  of  it  relates  to 
the  great  valley  east  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  This  is  undeniably,  to  strangers, 
a  disagreeable  residence,  nor  will  it  ever  be  a  theater  of  extensive  agriculture, 
until  some  grand  system  of  irrigation  is  adopted.  Not  so  with  the  more 
southern  valleys  near  the  coast,  as  San  Jose,  Sonoma,  Napie,  and  Los  An- 
gelos.  These  valleys  possess  delightful  climates,  and  the  garden  vegetables 
there  produced,  exceed  anything  in  the  States.  The  best  of  them  for  soil, 
climate,  and  facilities  for  irrigation,  is  the  extreme  southern  valley  of  Los 
Angelos,  which  is  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  miles  in  extent.  All  kinds  of 
fruits,  both  of  the  torrid  and  temperate  zones,  grow  there.  It  is  extremely 
healthy,  with  a  delightful  climate  and  good  soil,  with  springs  gushing  out 
from  the  mountains,  which  furnish  facilities  for  irrigating  the  whole  valley. 
In  the  valley  of  San  Jose,  the  land  is  as  dear  as  that  of  the  older  States  of 
the  Union. 

The  Gold  Regions. — Capt.  J.  A.  Sutter,  a  native  of  Switzerland,  who  had 
resided  in  California  since  the  year  1838,  and  carried  on  extensive  agricultural 
operations  with  the  aid  of  Indians,  in  the  vicinity  of  his  fort,  near  the  site 
of  Sacramento  city,  feeling  the  great  want  of  lumber,  contracted  with  a  Mr. 
Marshall,  in  the  fall  of  1847,  to  build  him  a  saw-mill  in  the  broken  and 
mountainous  country  which  is  covered  with  pine  forests  on  the  south  fork  of 
the  American  River,  about  seventy  miles  easterly  from  his  fort.  By  the  spring, 
a  dam  and  race  had  been  constructed  ;  the  laborers  being  formerly  members 
of  the  Mormon  battalion,  then  disbanded.  When  the  water  was  let  on  the 
wheels,  the  lower  part  of  the  race  was  found  too  narrow  to  permit  the  water 
to  escape  with  sufficient  rapidity,  and  Mr.  Marshall,  to  save  labor,  let  the 
water  from  the  river  directly  into  the  race  with  a  strong  current,  so  as  to  wash 
it  wider  and  deeper.  He  effected  his  purpose,  and  a  large  bed  of  mud  and 
50 


402  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

gravel  was  carried  to  the  end  of  the  race.  One  day,  about  the  last  of  May, 
1848,  as  Mr.  Marshall  was  walking  down  the  race  to  this  deposit,  near  where 
the  figures  are  seen  in  the  engraving,*  he  observed  some  glittering  particles  at 
its  upper  edge  ;  he  gathered  a  few,  examined  them,  and  became  satisfied  of 
their  value.  He  then  went  to  Sutter's  Fort,  and  informed  the  Captain  of  his 
discovery,  which  they  agreed  to  keep  secret  until  a  certain  grist-mill  of  Gutter's 
was  finished.  It,  however,  got  out  and  spread  like  magic.  Eemarkable  suc- 
cess attended  the  labors  of  the  first  explorers,  and,  in  about  three  months,  up- 
ward of  four  thousand  people  were  at  work  there.  The  town  of  Culloma 
was  subsequently  built  upon  the  same  spot. 

Further  explorations  showed  that  these  deposits  of  gold  extended  over  a 
vast  extent  of  country.  The  discovery  of  the  gold,  at  once  changed  the 
character  of  California.  Its  people,  before  engaged  in  cultivating  small 
patches  of  ground,  and  guarding  their  herds  of  cattle  and  horses,  flocked  to 
the  mines.  The  laborers  left  their  work,  the  tradesmen  their  shops,  the  sol- 
diers deserted  from  the  forts,  and  the  sailors  ran  away  from  their  ships. 

Information  of  this  discovery  spread  in  all  directions  during  the  following 
winter;  and  on  the  commencement  of  the  dry  season  in  1849,  people  came 
into  California  from  all  quarters — from  the  Pacific  coast  of  Mexico  and 
South  America,  the  Sandwich  Islands,  China  and  New  Holland.  The  Amen- 
can  emigration  by  sea,  did  not  come  in  much  force  until  July  and  August ; 
and  that  overland,  did  not  arrive  until  about  the  1st  of  September. 

The  Chilians  and  Mexicans  were  early  in  the  country.  In  July,  it  is  sup- 
posed, there  were  fifteen  thousand  foreigners  in  the  mines.  At  a  place  called 
Sonorian  camp,  on  the  Toulumne,  it  is  believed  there  were  ten  thousand  Mexi- 
cans. They  had  quite  a  city  of  booths,  tents  and  log-cabins;  hotels,  restau- 
rants, stores,  and  shops  of  all  descriptions,  furnished  whatever  money  could 
procure.  Ice  was  brought  from  the  Sierra,  and  ice  creams  added  to  numerous 
other  luxuries.  An  inclosure  made  of  the  trunks  and  branches  of  trees,  and 
lined  with  cotton-cloth,  served  as  a  sort  of  amphitheater  for  bull  fights  ;  and 
other  amusements,  characteristic  of  the  Mexicans,  were  seen  in  all  directions. 

The  foreigners  resorted  principally  to  the  southern  mines ;  the  Americans 
to  the  northern.  As  the  latter  increased,  they  spread  themselves  over  the 
southern  mines,  and,  either  from  fear  of  threatened  collisions,  or  from  having 
satisfied  their  cupidity,  two-thirds  of  the  foreigners  soon  after  left  the  country. 
The  first  season,  the  laborers  averaged  about  one  ounce  per  day.  It  is  esti- 
mated that  during  the  two  first-  years,  1848  and  1849,  that  gold  to  the  value 
of  about  forty  millions  of  dollars  was  collected,  one-half  of  which  was 
probably  gathered  and  carried  out  of  the  country  by  foreigners. 

The  principal  gold  region  of  California  is  about  five  hundred  miles  long, 
and  from  forty  to  fifty  miles  broad,  following  the  line  of  the  Sierra  Nevada. 
It  embraces  within  its  limits  those  extensive  ranges  of  hills  which  rise  on  the 
eastern  border  of  the  plain  of  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin,  and,  extend- 
ing eastwardly  from  fitly  to  sixty  miles,  they  attain  an  elevation  of  about  four 
thousand  feet,  and  terminate  at  the  base  of  the  main  ridge  of  the  Sierra  Ne- 
vada. There  are  numerous  streams  which  have  their  sources  in  the  springs 
of  the  Sierra,  and  receive  the  water  from  its  melting  snows,  and  that  which 
falls  in  rain  during  the  wet  season.  These  streams  form  rivers,  which  have 
cut  their  channels  through  the  ranges  of  foot-hills  westwardly  to  the  plain, 
and  disembogue  into  the  Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin.  These  rivers  are  from 
ten  to  fifteen,  and  probably  some  of  them  twenty  miles  apart. 

The   principal   formation  or  substratum   in  these   hills  is  talcose   Slate; 

*  This  view  is  copied  from  J.  L.  Marvin's  beautiful  panorama  of  California 


SUTTEE'S   MILL     WHERE   GOLD   WAS   FIRST    DISCOVEEED. 

••One  day.  about  the  last  of  May,  1848,  as  Mr.  Marshall  was  walking  down  the  race 
to  this  deposit,  near  where  the  figures  ara  seen  in  the  engraving,  he  observed  some 
glittering  particles  at  its  upper  edge." 


! 


SKETCH  OF  CALIFORNIA.  405 

the  superstratum,  sometimes  penetrating  to  a  great  depth,  is  quartz.  This, 
however,  does  not  cover  the  entire  face  of  the  country,  but  extends  in  large 
bodies  in  various  directions — is  found  in  masses  and  small  fragments  on  the 
[surface,  and  seen  along  the  ravines,  and  in  the  mountains  overhanging  the 
rivers,  and  in  the  hill-sides  in  its  original  beds.  It  crops  out  in  the  valleys 
and  on  the  tops  of  the  hills,  and  forms  a  striking  feature  of  the  entire  country 
over  which  it  extends.  From  innumerable  evidences  and  indications,  it  has 
come  to  be  the  universally  admitted  opinion  among  the  miners  and  intelligent 
men  who  have  examined  this  region,  that  the  gold,  whether  in  detached  par- 
ticles and  in  pieces,  or  in  veins,  was  created  in  combination  with  the  quartz. 
Gold  is  not  found  on  the  surface  of  the  country,  presenting  the  appearance  of 
having  been  thrown  up  and  scattered  in  all  directions  by  volcanic  action.  It 
is  only  found  in  particular  localities,  and  attended  by  peculiar  circumstances 
and  indications.  It  is  found  in  the  bars  and  shoals  of  the  rivers,  in  ravines, 
and  in  what  are  called  the  dry  diggings. 

The  rivers,  in  forming  their  channels,  or  breaking  their  way  through  the 
hills,  have  come  in  contact  with  the  quartz  containing  the  gold  veins,  and  by 
constant  attrition  cut  the  gold  into  fine  flakes  and  dust,  and  it  is  found  among 
the  sand  and  gravel  of  their  beds  at  those  places  where  the  swiftness  of  the 
current  reduces  it,  in  the  dry  season,  to  the  narrowest  possible  limits,  and 
where  a  wide  margin  is,  consequently,  left  on  each  side,  over  which  the 
water  rushes,  during  the  wet  season,  with  great  force.  As  the  velocity  of 
some  streams  is  greater  than  others,  so  is  the  gold  found  in  fine  or  coarse  par- 
ticles, apparently  corresponding  to  the  degree  of  attrition  to  which  it  has 
been  exposed.  The  water  from  the  hills  and  upper  valleys,  in  finding  its  way 
to  the  rivers,  has  cut  deep  ravines,  and,  wherever  it  came  in  contact  with  the 
quartz,  has  dissolved  or  crumbled  it  in  pieces. 

•  In  the  dry  season  these  channels  are  mostly  without  water,  and  gold  is 
found  in  the  beds  and  margins  of  many  of  them  in  large  quantities,  but  in  a 
much  coarser  state  than  in  the  rivers ;  owing,  undoubtedly,  to  the  moderate 
flow  and  temporary  continuance  of  the  current,  which  has  reduced  it  to 
smooth  shapes,  not  unlike  pebbles,  but  had  not  sufficient  force  to  reduce  it  to 
flakes  or  dust. 

The  dry  diggings  are  places  where  quartz  containing  gold  has  cropped  out, 
and  been  disintegrated,  crumbled  to  fragments,  pebbles  and  dust,  by  the  ac- 
tion of  water  and  the  atmosphere.  The  gold  has  been  left  as  it  was  made, 
in  all  imaginable  shapes ;  in  pieces  of  all  sizes,  from  one  grain  to  several 
pounds  in  weight.  The  evidences  that  it  was  created  in  combination  with 
quartz,  are  too  numerous  and  striking  to  admit  of  doubt  or  cavil.  They  are 
found  in  combination  in  large  quantities'.  A  very  large  proportion  of  the 
pieces  of  gold  found  in  these  situations  have  more  or  less  quartz  adhering  to 
them.  In  many  specimens  they  are  so  combined  that  they  cannot  be  separated 
without  reducing  the  whole  mass  to  powder,  and  subjecting  it  to  the  action 
of  quicksilver.  This  gold,  not  having  been  exposed  to  the  attrition  of  a 
strong  current  of  water,  retains,  in  a  great  degree,  its  original  conformation. 
These  diggings,  in  some  places,  are  spread  over  valleys  of  considerable  extent, 
which  have  the  appearance  of  alluvion,  formed  by  washings  from  the  adjoin- 
ing hills,  of  decomposed  quartz  and  slate  earth,  and  vegetable  matter. 
'  In  addition  to  these  facts,  it  is  beyond  doubt  true,  that  several  vein-mines 
have  been  found,  showing  the  minute  connection  between  the  gold  and  the 
rock,  and  indicating  a  value  hitherto  unknown  in  gold-mining.  These  veins. 
do  not  present  the  appearance  of  places  where  gold  may  have  been  lodged  by 
some  violent  eruption.  It  is  combined  with  the  quartz,  in  all  imaginable 
forms  and  degrees  of  richness 


406  HISTORICAL   AND    DESCRIPTIVE 

The  rivers  present  very  striking,  anfl,  it  would  seem,  conclusive  evidence 
respecting  the  quantity  of  gold  remaining  undiscovered  in  the  quartz  veins, 
It  is  not  probable  that  the  gold  in  the  dry  diggings,  and  that  in  the  rivers — 
the  former  in  lumps,  the  latter  in  dust — was  created  by  different  processes. 
That  which  is  found  in  the  rivers,  has,  undoubtedly,  been  cut  or  worn  from 
the  veins  in  the  rock,  with  which  their  currents  have  come  in  contact.  AD 
of  them  appear  to  be  equally  rich.  This  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  a  labor- 
ing man  may  collect  nearly  as  much  in  one  river  as  he  can  in  another.  They 
intersect  and  cut  through  the  gold  region,  running  from  east  to  west,  at  irregu- 
lar distances  of  fifteen  to  twenty,  and  perhaps  some  of  them  thirty  miles 
apart. 

Hence,  it  appears  that  the  gold  veins  are  equally  rich  in  all  parts  of  that 
most  remarkable  section  of  country.  Were  it  wanting,  there  are  further 
proofs  of  this  in  the  ravines  and  dry  diggings,  which  uniformly  confirm  what 
nature  so  plainly  shows  in  the  rivers. 

About  two  hundred  miles  west  of  Los  Angelos,  near  the  Spanish  Trail-- 
indicated  by  the  dotted  line  on  the  map  in  this  volume — is  the  celebrated  Gold 
'Mountain,  which  yields  from  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  to  ten  dollars  in 
value  to  a  pound  of  rock.  The  mountain  is  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
in  height,  forming  the  side  of  a  deep  gorge  or  canon,  and  extends  one-fourth 
of  a  mile.  The  region  about  it  is  a  sterile  desert,  infested  by  immense  num- 
bers of  rattlesnakes,  with  no  water,  except  that  which  is  poisonous,  within 
sixteen  miles.  The  vast  and  unexplored  country  between  the  San  Joaquin 
and  the  Colorado,  will  probably  become  the  great  theater  of  mining  in  a  short 
time.  It  is  known  to  be  a  gold  region,  and  it  abounds  also  in  silver  and  copper. 
The  Desert  mine,  in  the  Gold  Mountain,  is  worked  by  a  company.  As  the 
surface  gold  of  California  is  becoming,  to  a  certain  extent,  exhausted,  com- 
panies are  forming  to  prosecute  the  business  by  the  use  of  machinery  of  every 
kind.  The  following  description  of  the  method  adopted  for  collecting  the 
gold,  together  with  a  sketch  of  life  in  the  mines,  we  give  in  the  language  of 
a  gentleman  who  was  at  the  mines  on  the  Sacramento,  in  the  summer  of  1849. 

Arriving  on  the  bar,  the  scene  presented  to  us  was  new  indeed,  and  not 
more  extraordinary  than  impressive.  Some,  with  long-handled  shovels,  delved 
among  clumps  of  bushes,  or  by  the  side  of  large  rocks,  never  raising  their 
eyes  for  an  instant ;  others,  with  pick  and  shovel,  worked  among  stone  and 
gravel,  or  with  trowels  searched  under  banks  and  roots  of  trees,  where,  if  re- 
warded with  small  lumps  of  gold,  the  eye  shone  brighter  for  an  instant,  when 
the  search  was  immediately  and  more  ardently  resumed.  At  the  edge  of  the 
stream,  or  knee  deep  and  waist  deep  in  water,  as  cold  as  melted  ice  and  snow 
could  make  it,  some  were  washing  gold  with  tin-pans,  or  the  common  cradle- 
rocker,  while  the  rays  of  the  sun  were  pouring  down  on  their  heads  with  an 
intensity  exceeding  anything  we  ever  experienced  at  home,  though  it  was  but 
the  middle  of  April. 

The  thirst  for  gold  and  the  labor  of  acquisition,  overruled  all  else,  and  to- 
tally absorbed  every  faculty.  Complete  silence  reigned  among  the  miners ; 
they  addressed  not  a  word  to  each  other,  and  seemed  averse  to  all  conversa- 
tion. All  the  sympathies  of  our  common  humanity,  all  the  finer  and  nobler 
attributes  of  our  nature  seemed  lost,  buried  beneath  the  soil  they  were  eagerly 
.delving,  or  swept  away  with  the  rushing  waters  that  revealed  the  shining 
•treasure. 

This  "placer,"  or  bar,  is  simply  the  higher  portion  of  the  sandy  and  rocky 
-bed  of  the  stream,  which,  during  the  seasons  of  high  water,  is  covered  with 
Ahe  rushing  torrent,  but  was  now  partially  or  entirely  exposed.  This  is  cov- 
•ered  with  large  stones  and  rocks,  or,  on  the  smooth  sand,  with  clumps  of 


GOLD    MINERS'   CAMP. 
On  the  lower  bar  of  the  Mokelumue   River,  a  branch  of  the  Rio  Ran  Joaquin. 


SKETCH   OF  CALIFORNIA.  409 

bushes  or  trees.  Selecting  a  spot,  we  inquired  of  those  nearest,  whether  any 
other  "diggers"  claimed  a  prior  possession;  and  such  not  being  the  case, 
we  went  to  work.  First  fixing  our  machine  firmly  at  the  ed^e  of  the  stream, 
we  dug  and  carried  down  a  pile  of  earth  to  be  washed ;  and  when  sufficient 
was  collected,  one  filled  the  machine  with  earth  and  kept  it  in  motion,  while 
the  other  supplied  it  with  water.  Getting  but  a  small  quantity  of  gold  at 
that  spot,  we  waded  through  a  little  inlet  to  another  part  of  the  bar  nearer  the 
stream,  and  our  labors  not  being  well  rewarded  here,  we  again  shipped  our 
position  nearer  the  other  miners.  There  we  fixed  upon  the  edge  of  a  bank, 
where  the  ground  had  been  broken  by  an  old  miner  and  deserted.  Digging 
through  about  a  foot  of  sand  and  stones,  which  we  rejected,  we  came  to  a 
clay  deposit  mixed  with  sand  ;  with  this  we  filled  the  buckets,  and  carried  it  to 
the  machine.  The  upper  or  sandy  layer  contains  no  gold,  but  the  gold  grains, 
by  their  weight,  and  the  action  of  the  water,  sift  through  this  into  the  clay, 
where  they  are  found,  until  the  blue  clay  or  granite  formation  is  reached,  which, 
in  these  diggings,  is  generally  three  to  four  feet ;  but  in  some  of  the  others 
the  miners  dig  ten  or  fifteen  feet.  It  was  now  mid-day,  and  the  heat  of  the 
sun  was  quite  intolerable  to  all  but  salamanders ;  and  finding  in  our  machines 
about  four  dollars  value  of  gold  to  the  twenty  buckets  full  of  earth,  we  dis- 
continued our  labors  for  that  day. 

It  is  to  be  remembered,  however,  that  this  was,  by  no  means,  what  was  con- 
sidered rich  earth,  which  can  only  be  got  at  when  the  streams  are  lowest,  and 
the  bars  fully  exposed.  While  on  this  bar,  we  carefully  noticed  the  opera- 
tions of  experienced  diggers  and  miners,  and  were  soon  convinced  of  the 
superior  utility  of  the  pan  and  common  wooden  rocker  for  washing  gold  in 
California. 

The  rocker  is  simply  a  wooden  cradle,  the  same  as  a  child's  cradle,  except 
that  the  back  rocker  is  higher  than  the  front  one,  thus  forming  an  inclined 
plane  of  the  bottom,  across  which  two  or  three  wooden  cleets  are  nailed  a 
foot  apart.  Over  the  top  is  a  grating  or  tin  sieve  to  catch  the  pebbles  and 
coarse  sand;  on  this  the  earth  and  water  is  thrown,  while  the  cradle  is  worked 
by  a  long  handle  or  lever  at  the  side,  and  the  gold  lodges  on  the  bottom  on 
the  upper  side  of  the  cleets,  the  lower  end  of  the  cradle  being  open  for  the 
escape  of  the  earth  and  water. *  These  rockers  were  of  different  sizes  ;  some 
could  be  worked  by  one  man,  and  others  requiring  five.  At  the  close  of  the 
day's  work  the  gold  is  removed,  and  there  is  no  interruption  for  this  purpose 
during  the  day.  The  common  tin-pan  is  everywhere  necessary  and  useful, 
and  on  some  of  the  most  inaccessible  bars  in  the  deepest  canons  of 'the 
mountains,  no  other  washer  can  be  transported  or  used. 

The  bars,  like  the  one  just  described,  are  denominated  the  wet  diggings, 
and  are  generally  in  the  deep  canons  of  the  mountains.  A  canon  is  trie  nar- 
row opening  between  two  mountains,  several  hundred,  and  sometimes  several 
thousand  feet  in  depth  ;  rising  some  of  them  like,  perpendicular  cliffs  on  either 
hand,  as  if  torn  asunder  by  a  violent  convulsion  of  nature.  Through  these 
pour  the  rushing  mountain  torrents  of  the  wet  diggings  of  the  gold  regions  of 
California. 

Some  of  our  party  visited  the  dry  diggings  of  the  ravines  and  gulches  of  the 
sides  of  the  mountains.  A  gulch  differs  from  a  common  ravine  in  being 
more  steep,  abrupt  and  inaccessible.  The  sound  of  gulch  is  like  that  of  a 
sudden  plunge  into  a  deep  hole,  which  is  just  the  character  of  the  thing  itself. 
The  gold  obtained  there  is  chiefly  by  washing  the  red  clay  with  a  pan,  in 
the  pools  of  the  ravines,  formed  by  the  rainy  season,  or  in  some  little  moun- 
tain rivulet,  often  several  hundred  yards  from  the  spot  where  the  earth  is  ob- 
tained. 

51 


410  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

The  crevices  of  the  white-veined  quartz  works  also  furnished  gold  in  lumps 
nearly  pure,  or  mixed  with  the  quartz ;  and  a  good  deal  is  extracted  in  this 
way  by  the  common  butcher  or  sailor's  sheath-knife,  which  is  best  for  the 
purpose.  Not  near  as  much  gold,  however,  is  thus  obtained  as  has  been  com- 
monly supposed.  The  faces,  hair,  brows  and  eyelashes  of  the  miners  in  the 
dry  diggings  become  continually  plastered  with  the  red  clay,  in  which  they 
work  and  wash.  India-rubber  aprons  are  some  protection,  but  boots  of  that 
material  soon  cut  on  the  rocks ;  and,  in  fact,  a  deer  skin  suit,  with  fisherman's 
boots,  furnish  the  best  clothing  a  miner  can  possibly  have. 

In  the  dry  diggings,  during  the  summer,  the  great  difficulty  the  miner  has 
to  contend  with,  is  scarcity  of  water.  The  finding  of  ever  so  small  a  spring 
is  then  an  important  event,  and  if  near  the  rich  diggings,  the  water  is  frequent- 
ly sold  as  high  as  from  a  half  to  one  dollar  a  pail  full.  A  ditch  is  then  dug  as 
near  the  spring  as  possible,  five  or  six  feet  wide,  and  three  or  four  deep ;  across 
this,  logs  are  laid,  on  which  the  rocker  is  placed.  The  miner  then  carries 
or  packs  a  pile  of  the  earth  to  the  side  of  the  trench,  where  having  secured  a 
supply  of  water,  he  is  able,  by  the  use  of  buckets  and  pans,  to  save  a  portion 
of  it  as  it  runs  off  from  his  cradle.  Many  employ  their  time  in  summer 
simply  to  collect  the  earth,  to  be  washed  in  the  rainy  or  winter  season,  when 
the  watery  element  is  by  no  means  scarce.* 

Returning  to  camp,  we  renewed  our  trading,  witnessing,  on  some  days,  il- 
lustrations of  life  in  the  gold  diggings.  Miners  were  continually  coming  in 
from  different  diggings^  to  expend  a  part  or  all  of  their  gold,  on  what  they 
term  "  a  burst ;"  which  is  a  constant  revel,  night  and  day,  for  three  or  four 
days,  and  often  a  week  at  a  time.  Drinking  brandy  at  eight  dollars,  and 
champaign  at  sixteen  dollars  a  bottle,  as  freely  as  water,  they  wandered  and 
roved  about  from  groggery  to  store,  and  store  to  tent,  wild  with  intoxication, 
brandishing  bowie-knives  in  sport,  or  shooting  with  the  rifle  at  any  mark  they 
fancied,  with  the  ball  often  but  half  home,  and  the  rammer  in.  Others  would 
leap  into  the  saddle,  and  yelling  with  excitement,  gallop  furiously  in  every 
direction,  regardless  of  all  obstacles,  frequently  being  thrown  and  nearly 
killed.  Profanity  of  the  vilest  description — oaths,  such  as  we  never  con- 
ceived could  be  uttered  by  human  lips,  incessantly  filled  the  air.  The  deep 
disgust  we  experienced  at  the  revolting  profanity  of  life  in  the  gold  diggings, 
we  can  never  forget. 

With  some  of  the  men,  who  appeared  good  natured  in  their  excesses,  we 
ventured  to  remonstrate.  We  said,  "  This  digging  gold  is  toilsome  and  hard 
labor,  why  do  you  not  try  and  keep  some  for  a  rainy  day?"  And  their  re- 
ply was,  "  Oh  !  we  know  where  there's  plenty  more,  and  when  we  want  it 
we  can  dig  it." 

Among  all  the  roving  and  reckless  characters  by  whom  we  were  surrounded, 
were  two  special  curiosities,  named  Bill  and  Gus.  Now,  Bill  and  Gus  had 
come  over  from  the  Middle  Fork,  for  a  particular,  general  and  universal 
"  burst."  Being  well  known  diggers,  they  had  not  only  plenty  of  the  dust, 
but  when  that  was  gone,  they  had  abundant  credit,  both  at  the  traders  and 

*The  Sonorians,  or  Northern  Mexicans,  have  a  peculiar  mode  of  washing  the  fine  refuse  sand 
in  the  dry  diggings.  Gathering  the  loose  dry  sand  in  bowls,  they  raise  it  to  their  heads,  and  slowly, 
repeatedly,  pour  it  upon  a  blanket  spread  at  their  feet,  until  they  reduce  it  to  half  its  bulk,  throw- 
ing out  by  hand  the  worthless  pieces  of  rock  ;  then  balancing  the  bowl  on  one  hand,  by  a  quick, 
dexterous  motion  of  the  other,  they  cause  it  to  revolve,  at  the  same  time  throwing  its  contents  into 
the  air  and  catching  them  as  they  full.  In  this  manner,  everything  is  finally  winnowed  away,  ex- 
cept the  heavier  grains  of  sand  mixed  with  gold,  which  is  carefully  separated  by  the  breath.  It 'is  a 
laborious  occupation,  and  one  which  the  American  diggers  fortunately  do  not  attempt.  This 
breathing  the  fine  dust  from  day  to  day,  under  a  more  than  torrid  sun,  would  soon  impair  the 
strongest  lungs. 


SAN   F.RANGISCO. 

'San  Francisco,  previous  to  the  diseovery  of  gold,  was  an  insignificant  Tillage,  •with  about  a  dozen  houses 
only.    It  was  tiken  (;alled  Terba  Buena,  i.  a..  Good  Herb,  from  the  wild  mint  growing  '>n  the  hills."— PA»«  41A 


SKETCH  OF  CALIFORNIA.  413 

groggeries.  As  bosom  friends,  they  never  were  apart,  and  with  hearts  soft- 
ened by  the  fumes  of  liquor,  they  loved  all  around  them,  attaching  them- 
selves as  fixtures  to  our  tent.  This  was  annoying,  but  like  many  other  things 
in  California,  must  be  borne.  Bill  was  as  wiry  as  an  Indian,  and  with  his 
jet  locks  and  furtive  eyes,  resembled  one  not  a  little ;  while  Gus,  with  his 
sleek  and  rounded  limbs,  was  like  an  elder  uncle  to  him.  One  of  our  party, 
after  being  strongly  solicited,  sold  Bill  a  bottle  of  French  brandy,  laid  in  for 
medical  purposes,  at  half  an  ounce  of  gold,  or  eight  dollars.  He  immediately 
insisted  on  our  drinking  with  him  ;  but  on  our  refusing  several  times,  he  dashed 
it  violently  against  a  tree,  thus  throwing  away  his  half  ounce  and  his  brandy 
both.  In  paying  for  something,  he  dropped  a  small  lump  of  gold,  worth  two 
or  three  dollars,  which  we  picked  up  and  offered  him.  Without  taking  it, 
he  looked  at  us  with  a  comical  mixture  of  amazement  and  ill-humor,  and  at 
length  broke  out  with,  "Well,  stranger,  you  are  a  curiosity!  I  guess  you 
haint  been  in  the  diggings  long,  and  better  keep  that  for  a  sample"  They 
finally  purchased  a  barrel  of  ale,  at  three  dollars  per  bottle,  and  sardines  at 
half  an  ounce  per  box ;  and  with  a  bottle  under  each  arm,  and  glass  in  hand, 
went  abput  forcing  everybody  to  drink. 

The  quicksilver  mines  of  California  are  numerous,  extensive  and  very  val- 
uable. The  cinnabar  ore,  which  produces  the  quicksilver,  lies  near  the  sur- 
face, and  is  easily  procured.  Quicksilver  is  very  useful  for  gold  washing. 
By  means  of  a  rocker  of  a  peculiar  construction,  with  three  or  four  lateral 
gutters  filled  with  quicksilver,  the  gold  is  taken  up  almost  perfectly.  The 
quicksilver,  while  it  rejects  the  sand,  collects  and  absorbs  the  particles  of  gold 
and  forms  an  amalgam  with  it.  The  quicksilver  is  afterward  evaporated  in  a 
retort  by  means  of  heat,  leaving  the  pure  gold.  In  gathering  the  minute  gold 
dust  in  the  quartz  rock,  pulverized  by  machinery,  quicksilver  is  indispensable. 

In  1850,  the  population  of  California  was  estimated  at  200,000 ;  and  the 
three  largest  towns,  San  Francisco.  Sacramento  City  and  Stockton,  respec- 
tively at  thirty,  ten  and  five  thousand  each.  Vallejo,  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment, is  a  new  city,  laid  out  on  the  bay  of  San  Francisco,  twenty-five  miles 
from  San  Francisco.  San  Francisco  is  on  the  same  latitude  with  Richmond, 
Virginia,  and  distant,  in  an  air  line  from  it,  2,500  miles.  Previous  to  the 
discovery  of  gold,  it  was  an  insignificant  village,  with  about  a  dozen  houses 
only.  It  was  then  called  Yerba  Buena,  i.  e.,  Good  Herb,  from  the  wild  mint 
growing  on  the  hills. 

TERRIBLE  SUFFERINGS  OF  A  PARTY  OF  CALIFORNIA  EMIGRANTS. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  great  sufferings  of  various  parties  of  overland  emi- 
grants to  California  since  the  era  of  the  gold  discovery,  they  will  bear  no 
comparison  with  those  about  to  be  related. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1846,  a  party  of  eighty  emigrants,  men,  wo- 
men and  children,  known  as  Reed  and  Donner's  Company,  by  exploring  a 
new  route  through  the  Deserts  of  Utah,  and  from  other  causes,  lost  so  much 
time  that  they  did  not  reach  the  Pass  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  until  the  31st  of 
October,  when  they  should  have  been  there  a  month  earlier.  The  snow,  un- 
fortunately, had  commenced  falling  two  or  three  weeks  earlier  than  usual,  and 
when  they  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  pass  in  the  mountains,  it  had  become  so 
deep  that  they  found  it  impossible  to  proceed.  They  erected  cabins  on  the 
banks  of  Truckee  Lake,  near  the  eastern  base  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  about  one 
hundred  miles  northeast  of  the  site  of  Sacramento  City,  and  ere  relief  reached1 
them,  thirty-s:x  of  their  number  perished  from  cold  and  starvation,  while  the 


414  HISTORICAL  AND   DESCRIPTIVE 

unfortunate  survivors  were  obliged  to  subsist  on  the  corpses  of  their  compan* 
ions,  in  order  to  escape  a  like  fate. 

From  the  1st  of  November,  until  the  16th  of  December,  several  attempts 
were  made  by  some  of  the  emigrants  to  cross  the  mountains  from  their  cabins 
into  the  settlements,  to  bring  relief  to  the  company;  but  owing  to  the  softness 
and  the  depth  of  the  snow,  they  were  obliged  to  turn  back.  On  that  day, 
expecting  that  they  would  be  enabled  to  reach  the  settlements  in  ten  days, 
seven  men,  five  wromen,  a  boy  and  two  Indians,  having  prepared  themselves 
with  snow-shoes,  again  started  on  the  perilous  undertaking,  determined  to  suc- 
ceed or  perish. 

On  first  starting,  the  snow  was  so  light  and  loose  that  even  with  snow-shoes 
they  sunk  in  twelve  inches  at  every  step.  On  the  17th,  they  crossed  the  di- 
viding ridge,  and  by  the  20th,  owing  to  the  extreme  difficulty  of  walking  in 
snow-shoes,  and  the  softness  of  the  snow,  had  succeeded  in  reaching  only 
twenty  miles  in  advance  of  their  cabins.  On  that  day,  the  sun  rose  clear  and 
beautiful,  and  cheered  by  its  sparkling  rays,  they  pursued  their  weary  way. 
On  this  day  they  traveled  eight  miles,  but  one  of  their  number,  Mr.  Stanton, 
being  unable  to  keep  up  with  them,  remained  behind  and  perished  in  the  snow. 
A  severe  snow  storm  having  come  on,  they  remained  in  camp  until  the  23d, 
when,  although  the  storm  continued,  they  traveled  eight  miles  and  encamped 
in  a  deep  valley.  Here  the  appearance  of  the  country  was  'so  different  from 
what  they  had  anticipated,  that  they  concluded  that  they  were  lost,  but  deter- 
mined to  go  on  rather  than  return  to  their  miserable  cabins.  They  were  also 
at  this  time  out  of  provisions,  and  partly  agreed  that,  in  case  of  necessity,  they 
would  cast  lots  who  should  die  to  preserve  the  remainder.  By  morning,  the 
snow  had  so  increased  that  they  could  not  travel;  while,  to  add  to  their  suf- 
ferings, their  fire  had  been  put  out  by  the  rain,  and  all  their  endeavors  to  light 
another,  proved  abortive.  Already  death  was  in  the  midst  of  them,  Antonio 
and  Mr.  Graves  dying  at  that  time. 

In  this  critical  moment,  the  presence  of  mind  of  Mr.  William  Eddy  sug- 
gested the  plan  for  keeping  themselves  warm,  practiced  among  the  trappers 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  when  caught  in  the  snow  without  fire.  It  is  simply 
to  spread  a  blanket  on  the  snow,  when  the  party — if  small — with  the  excep- 
tion of  one,  sit  down  upon  it  in  a  circle,  closely  as  possible,  their  feet  piled 
over  one  another  in  the  center,  room  being  left  for  the  person  who  has  to 
complete  the  arrangement.  As  many  blankets  as  are  necessary  are  then 
spread  over  the  heads  of  the  party,  the  ends  being  kept  down  by  billets  of 
wood  or  snow.  After  everything  is  completed,  the  person  outside  takes  his 
place  in  the  circle.  As  the  snow  falls,  it  closes  up  the  pores  of  the  blankets, 
while  the  breath  of  the  party  underneath  soon  causes  a  comfortable  warmth. 
In  this  situation,  they  remained  a  day-and-a-half ;  one  of  the  men,  Patrick 
Doolan,  and  Murphy,  a  boy,  having  in  the  meanwhile  become  delirious, 
died. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  26th,  they  succeeded  in  getting  fire  into  a  dry  pine 
itree.  Having  been  four  days  without  food,  and  since  October  on  short  al- 
lowance, they  had  now  no  alternative  but  starvation  or  of  preserving  life  by 
eating  the  corpses  of  the  dead.  This  horrible  expedient  was  resorted  to  with 
great  reluctance.  They  cut  the  flesh  from  the  arms  and  legs  of  Doolan,  and 
roasted  and  ate  it,  averting  their  faces  from  each  other  and  weeping. 

Having  stripped  and  dried  the  flesh  from  the  bodies,  they  left  the  camp  on  the 
•30th,  and  with  heavy  hearts  pressed  on,  wading  through  the  snow  and  climb- 
ing the  mountains  with  almost  incredible  fatigue;  the  blood  from  their  frozen 
feet  staining  the  snow  over  which  they  passed.  Thus  they  continued  on  un- 
•itil  the  5th  of  January,  when  Mr.  Fosdick  gave  out,  and  his  flesh  was  pre- 


SKETCH  OF  CALIFORNIA.  415 

served  to  sustain  life  in  the  remainder.     Soon  after,  Lewis  laid  down  and 
died. 

On  the  17th,  Mr.  Eddy,  who  stood  the  fatigues  better  than  any  of  the 
others,  and  had  gone  in  advance  of  the  rest,  reached  the  settlement  on  Bear 
Creek,  from  whence  relief  was  dispatched  to  the  remains  of  his  party.  Of 
these,  the  females  had  borne  up  wonderfully.  Not  one  had  perished,  while 
men  of  strong  frames  and  nerves  had  gone  flown  in  the  death-struggle.  Never 
was  the  fortitude,  the  passive,  enduring  courage  of  woman  more  signally  dis- 
played, than  in  this  dreadful  march ;  they  encouraged  the  men  by  words  and 
example,  to  bear  up  under  their  sufferings  and  persevere  unto  the  end. 

As  soon  as  the  people  of  San  Francisco  received  from  the  settlement  on 
Bear  River,  intelligence  of  the  dangerous  situation  of  the  emigrants  encamped 
on  Truckee  Lake,  they  sent  out  several  parties  to  their  relief.  Capt.  Suiter 
also  displayed  his  characteristic  benevolence  on  the  occasion,  furnishing  in 
advance  of  the  others,  men  and  mules  laden  with  provisions  for  the  relief  of 
the  perishing  sufferers.  But  such  were  the  difficulties  of  reaching  them,  that 
it  was  not  until  the  29th  of  April  that  the  last  of  the  party  was  brought  into 
Sutter's  Fort. 

A  more  shocking  scene  cannot  be  imagined,  than  that  witnessed  by  the 
parties  who  went  to  the  relief  of  the  unfortunate  emigrants.  Large  numbers 
had  perished  from  cold  and  starvation.  The  bones  of  those  who  had  died 
and  been  devoured  by  the  miserable  survivors,  were  lying  around  their  tents 
and  cabins.  Bodies  of  men,  women,  and  children,  with  half  the  flesh  torn 
from  them,  lay  on  every  side.  A  woman  sat  by  the  side  of  the  body  of  her 
husband,  who  had  just  died  and  was  in  the  act  of  cutting  out  his  tongue ;  the 
heart  she  had  already  taken  out,  broiled  and  eaten.  The  daughter  was  seen 
eating  the  flesh  of  the  father — the  mother,  that  of  the  children — children,  that 
of  parents.  The  emaciated,  wild,  and  ghastly  appearance  of  the  survivors 
added  to  the  horror  of  the  scene.  The  awful  change  cannot  be  described, 
which  a  few  weeks  of  dire  suffering  had  wrought  in  the  minds  of  these  wretch- 
ed beings.  Those  who  but  one  month  before,  would  have  shuddered  and; 
sickened  at  the  thought  of  eating  human  flesh,  or  of  killing  their  companions, 
and  relatives,  to  preserve  their  own  lives,  now  looked  upon  the  opportunity 
these  acts  afforded  them  of  escaping  death,  as  a  providential  interference- 
Calculations  were  coldly  made  as  they  sat  around  their  gloomy  camp  fires,, 
for  the  next  and  succeeding  meals.  Various  expedients  were  devised  to  pre- 
vent the  dreadful  crime  of  murder,  but  they  finally  resolved  to  kill  those  who> 
had  the  least  claims  to  longer  existence,  when  just  at  that  moment  some  of 
them  died,  which  afforded  temporary  relief. 

After  the  first  few  deaths,  but  the  one  all-absorbing  thought  of  individual 
self-preservation  prevailed.  The  feelings  of  natural  affection  were  dried  up.. 
The  cords  that  once  vibrated  with  connubial,  parental,  and  filial  affection,, 
were  rent  asunder,  and  each  one  seemed  resolved,  without  regard  to  the  fate- 
of  others,  to  escape  from  the  impending  calamity. 

So  changed  had  they  become,  that  on  the  arrival  of  the  first  party  with; 
food,  some  of  them  cast  it  aside,  preferring  the  putrid  human  flesh  that  re- 
mained. The  day  previous,  one  of  the  emigrants  took  a  small  child  in  bed* 
with  him  and  devoured  the  whole  before  morning. 

With  but  few  exceptions,  all  the  sufferers,  both  those  who  perished  and 
those  who  survived,  manifested  a  species  of  insanity.  Objects  delightful  to 
the  senses,  often  flitted  across  the  imagination,  and  a  thousand  fantasies  filled 
and  disturbed  the  disordered  brain. 

Although  in  the  midst  of  winter,  their  deluded  fancies  often  represented  to 
them  during  the  day,  beautiful  farm-houses,  and  extensive  fields  and  gardens. 


416  HISTORICAL   AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

in  the  distance,  toward  which,  they  would  press  forward  with  all  the  energy 
with  which  alternate  hope  and  despair  could  inspire  them.  During  the  night, 
they  often  heard  men  talking,  dogs  barking,  cocks  crowing,  and  bells  tinkling. 
Many  believed  that  they  were  surrounded  by  familiar  faces  and  old  friends, 
and  that  they  saw  objects  associated  with  scenes  of  other  years  and  places. 
Some  saw  persons  coming  to  their  relief,  and  called  to  them  to  hasten. 
There  were  instances  of  persons  suspecting,  at  times,  that  the  terrible  circum- 
stances by  which  they  were  in  reality  surrounded,  were  but  the  illusions  of 
most  horrible  dreams,  and  they  would  rub  their  eyes  and  put  their  hands 
upon  their  heads  to  assure  themselves,  if  it  were  possible,  that  all  was  not  the 
result  of  a  dreadful  vision  or  nightmare. 

Some  of  the  party,  though  sometimes  during  brief  intervals  perfectly  sane 
when  awake,  suffered  from  most  painful  and  terrifying  dreams — in  which 
they  saw  combats  and  cries  of  despair  and  anguish,  together  with  visions  of 
famine  and  death,  while  floundering  in  fathomless  snows. 

Some  of  these  unhappy  emigrants  felt  a  general  sinking  of  all  their  mental 
and  bodily  energies,  without,  however,  experiencing  the  gnawings  of  hunger. 
This  absence  of  the  sensation  of  hunger  was  followed  by  an  irresistible  de- 
sire to  sleep.  In  the  course  of  half-an-hour  after  falling  into  this  torpor,  they 
breathed  unnaturally  and  with  difficulty,  speedily  followed  by  a  rattling  in 
the  throat.  This  continued  from  one  to  four  hours,  when  death  closed  the 
scene ;  the  individual,  in  the  meantime,  appearing  to  be  in  a  profound  slumber. 
A  few  became  furious  and  died  without  sinking  into  this  slumber.  Others 
died  calm  and  peaceful,  taking  affectionate  leave  of  friends,  and  expressing  a 
confident  hope  in  the  mercy  of  the  blessed  Redeemer. 

The  last  relief  party  was  conducted  by  Mr.  Fallen,  by  which  time  all  of 
the  living  sufferers  had  been  taken  into  the  settlements,  excepting  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Donner  and  a  vile  wretch  named  Keysburg.  When  the  others  left,  Mrs. 
Donner  remained  with  her  husband,  who  was  unable  to  travel.  .  Why  Keys- 
burg  remained,  can  only  be  guessed.  Donner  was  a  highly  respectable  and 
•wealthy  farmer  of  Illinois,  and  his  lady  a  woman  of  great  activity  and  energy, 
-and  of  a  polished  education.  They  had  with  them  abundant  means  in 
;money  and  merchandise. 

Fallen  and  his  party  reached  the  cabins  sometime  in  April,  in  one  of 
which,  they  found  Keysburg  reclining  upon  the  floor  smoking  a  pipe.  Near 
.his  head  a  fire  was  blazing,  upon  which  was  a  camp-kettle  lilted  with  human 
flesh.  His  feet  were  resting  upon  skulls  and  dislocated  limbs  stripped  of 
•their  flesh.  A  bucket,  partly  filled  with  blood,  was  standing  near,  and  pieces 
of  human  flesh  fresh  and  bloody,  strewed  around.  His  appearance  was  hag- 
gard and  revolting.  His  beard  was  of  great  length;  his  finger  nails  had 
.grown  out  until  they  resembled  the  claws  of  a  wild  beast.  He  was  ragged 
and  filthy,  and  the  expression  of  his  countenance  ferocious.  He  stated  that 
•the  Donners  were  both  dead;  that  Mrs.  Donner  was  the  last  to  die,  and  had 
•expired  two  days  previously;  that  she  had  left  her  husband's  camp  eight 
miles  distant,  and  came  to  his  cabin.  She  attempted  to  return  in  the  even- 
ing to  the  camp,  but  becoming  bewildered,  she  came  back  to  the  cabin  and 
•died  in  the  course  of  the  night. 

He  was  accused  of  having  murdered  her  for  her  flesh,  and  the  money  the 
.Donners  were  known  to  possess,  but  denied  it,  and  also  all  knowledge  of 
:their  money ;  but  Fallen  placed  a  rope  around  his  neck  and  commenced  hang 
ing  him  to  the  limb  of  a  tree,  when  to  save  his  life,  he  confessed  that  he  knew 
all  about  the  money.  They  released  him  and  he  produced  $517  in  gold, 
which  he  had  secreted.  Against  his  will,  they  then  compelled  him  to  ac- 
<  company  them  to  the  nearest  settlements.  The  body  of  Donner  was  found 


SKETCH   OF  UTAH.  417 

in  his  cabin,  where  he  had  been  carefully  laid  out  by  his  wife,  and  a  sheet 
wrapt  around  the  corpse.  This  was  the  last  act  probably  that  she  performed 
ere  visiting  the  cabin  of  Keysburg. 

On  the  22d  of  June,  1847,  the  return  party  of  Gen.  Kearney  halted  at 
the  scene  of  these  horrible  occurrences  to  collect  and  bury  the  remains.  Near 
the  principal  cabins  were  two  bodies  entire,  with  the  exception,  that  their 
abdomen  had  been  cut  open  and  their  entrails  extracted.  Their  flesh  had 
been  either  wasted  by  famine,  or  evaporated  by  exposure  to  a  dry  atmosphere, 
and  they  presented  the  appearance  of  mummies.  Strewn  about  the  cabins, 
were  dislocated  and  broken  bones — skulls,  some  of  which  had  been  sawed 
apart  carefully  to  extract  their  brains — human  skeletons,  in  short,  in  every 
variety  of  mutilation,  all  presenting  a  most  appalling  and  revolting  spectacle. 


UTAH. 

THE  name  Utah  is  derived  from  that  of  a  native  tribe,  and  is  ^iven  to  it  in 
the  Act  of  Congress  of  1850,  which  formed  it  into  a  territory  of  the  United 
States.  The  name  Deseret  was  applied  to  it  by  the  Mormons,  and  is  said  to 
signify  virtue  and  industry. 

A  large  part  of  Utah  is  of  volcanic  origin.  It  is  supposed,  from  certain 
traditions  and  remains,  to  have  been,  many  hundred  years  ago,  the  residence 
of  the  Aztec  nation — that  they  were  driven  south  by  the  volcanic  eruptions 
which  changed  the  face  of  the  whole  country.  Eventually,  they  became  the 
possessors  of  Mexico,  where,  after  attaining  great  proficiency  in  the  arts  of 
life,  they  were  finally  overthrown  by  the  Spaniards  at  the  time  of  the 
conquest. 

Utah  was  not  probably  visited  by  civilized  man  until  within  the  present 
century.  These  were  Catholic  missionaries,  who  may  have  just  touched  its 
California  border,  and  the  trappers  and  hunters  employed  by  the  fur  com- 
panies. The  first  establishment  in  Utah  was  made  by  William  H.  Ashley,  a 
Missouri  fur  trader.  In  1824,  he  organized  an  expedition  which  passed  up 
the  valley  of  the  Platte  River,  and  through  the  cleft  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
since  called  "  The  South  Pass  ;"  and  then  advancing  further  west,  he  reached 
the  Great  Salt  Lake,  which  lies  embosomed  among  lofty  mountains.  About 
a  hundred  miles  southeast  of  this,  he  discovered  a  smaller  one,  since  known 
as  "Ashley's  Lake."  He  there  built  a  fort  or  trading-post,  in  which  he  left 
about  a  hundred  men.  Two  years  afterward,  a  six  pound  piece  of  artillery 
was  drawn  from  Missouri  to  this  fort,  a  distance  of  more  than  twelve  hundred 
miles,  and  in  1828,  many  wagons,  heavily  laden,  performed  the  same  journey. 

During  the  three  years  between  1824  and  1827,  Ashley's  men  collected  and 
sent  to  St.  Louis,  furs  from  that  region  of  country  to  an  amount,  in  value,  of 
over  $180,000.  This  enterprising  man  then  sold  out  all  his  interests  to 
Messrs.  Smith,  Jackson  and  Sublette.  These  energetic  and  determined  men 
carried  on,  for  many  years,  an  extensive  and  profitable  business,  in  the  course 
of  which  they  traversed  a  large  part  of  southern  Oregon,  Utah,  California 
and  New  Mexico  west  of  the  mountains.  Smith  was  murdered  in  the,  sum- 
mer of  1829,  by  the  Indians  northwest  of  Utah  Lake.  Ashley's  Fort  was 
long  since  abandoned. 

Unfortunately,  these  adventurous  men  knew  nothing  of  science,  and  but 
little  information  was  derived  from  them  save  vague  reports,  which  greatly 
excited  curiosity;  this  was  only  increased  by  the  partial  explorations  of 
Fremont. 

In  his  second  expedition,  made  in  1843,  he  visited  The  Great  Kalt  Lake, 
52 


418  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

which  appears  upon  old  Spanish  maps  as  Lake  Timpanogos  and  Lake 
Tegaya. 

It  was  on  the  21st  of  August,  that  the  party  first  came  into  the  fertile 
and  picturesque  valley  of  the  Great  Bear  River,  its  principal  tributary. 
They  were  entering  into  what  was  to  them,  a  region  of  strange  and  extraor- 
dinary interest.  They  were  upon  the  waters  of  the  famous  and  unknown 
lake,  around  which  the  vague  and  superstitious  accounts  of  the  trappers  had 
thrown  a  delightful  obscurity.  It  was  generally  supposed,  that  it  had  no  visi- 
ble outlet ;  but  that  somewhere  upon  its  surface  was  a  horrible  whirlpool, 
through  which  the  waters  found  their  way  to  the  ocean  by  some  subterranean 
communication. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  they  ascended  an  eminence,  and,  immediately  at 
their  feet,  "beheld,"  says  Fremont,  "the  object  of  our  anxious  search — the 
waters  of  the  Inland  Sea,  stretching  in  still  and  solitary  grandeur  far  beyond 
the  limit  of  our  vision.  It  was  one  of  the  great  points  of  the  exploration  ; 
and  as  we  looked  eagerly  over  the  lake  in  the  first  emotions  of  excited  pleasure, 
I  am  doubtful  if  the  followers  of  Balboa  felt  more  enthusiasm,  when,  from  the 
heights  of  the  Andes  they,  for  the  first  time,  saw  the  great  Western  Ocean. 
It  was  certainly  a  magnificent  object,  and  a  noble  terminus  to  this  part  of  our 
expedition  ;  and  to  travelers  so  long  shut  up  among  mountain  ranges,  a  sudden 
view  over  the  expanse  of  silent  waters,  had  in  it  something  sublime." 

They  had  brought  with  them  an  India-rubber  boat,  which  Fremont  deter- 
mined to  use  in  explorations  upon  the  lake.  They  launched  it  in  a  small 
stream  emptying  into  it.  When  near  its  mouth,  "  we  came,"  says  Fremont, 
"  to  a  small  black  ridge  on  the  bottom,  beyond  which  the  water  suddenly  be- 
came salt,  beginning  gradually  to  deepen.  It  was  a  remarkable  division, 
separating  the  fresh  waters  of  the  rivers  from  the  briny  water  of  the  lake, 
which  was  entirely  saturated  with  salt.  Pushing  our  little  vessel  across  the 
narrow  boundary,  we  sprang  on  board,  and,  at  length,  were  afloat  upon  the 
waters  of  the  unknown  sea.  Although  the  day  was  very  calm,  there  was  a 
considerable  swell  on  the  lake ;  and  there  were  white  patches  of  foam  on  the 
surface,  which  were  slowly  moving  to  the  southward,  indicating  the  set  of  a 
current  in  that  direction,  and  recalling  the  recollection  of  the  whirlpool 
stories.  The  water  continued  to  deepen  as  we  advanced ;  the  lake  becoming 
almost  transparently  clear,  of  an  extremely  beautiful,  bright  green  color;  and 
the  spray  which  was  thrown  into  the  boat  and  over  our  clothes,  was  directly 
converted  into  a  crust  of  common  salt,  wThich  covered  also  our  hands  and 
arms.  '  Captain,'  said  Carson,  who,  for  some  time,  had  been  looking  sus- 
piciously at  some  whitening  appearances  outside  the  nearest  islands,  '  what 
are  those  yonder?  won't  you  just  take  a  look  with  the  glass?'  We  ceased 
paddling  for  a  moment,  and  found  them  the  caps  of  the  waves  that  were  be- 
ginning to  break  under  the  force  of  a  strong  breeze  that  was  coming  up  the 
lake.  Gradually  we  worked  across  the  rougher  sea  of  the  open  channel,  into 
the  smoother  water  under  the  lea  of  the  island  for  which  we  were  steering ; 
and  began  to  discover  that  what  we  took  for  a  long  row  of  pelicans  ranged  on 
the  beach,  were  only  low  cliffs  whitened  with  salt  by  the  spray  of  the  waves." 

About  noon  they  reached  the  island,  and  landed  on  a  broad,  handsome 
beach,  behind  which  the  hill,  into  which  the  island  gathered,  rose  somewhat 
abruptly.  The  cliffs  and  masses  of  rock  along  the  shore,  were  whitened  by 
an  incrustation  of  salt,  where  the  waves  dashed  up  against  them ;  and  the 
evaporating  water,  which  had  been  left  in  holes  and  hollows  on  the  surface 
of  the  rocks,  was  incrusted  with  salt  for  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch.  This 
salt  was  very  white  and  fine,  having  the  usual  flavor  of  the  best  common  salt. 
In  the  afternoon  they  ascended  the  highest  point  of  the  island, — a  bare,  rocky 


SKETCH  OF  UTAH.  419 

peak,  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  lake.  "  Standing  on  the  summit,"  says 
Fremont,  "  we  enjoyed  an  extended  view  of  the  lake,  inclosed  in  a  basin  of 
rugged  mountains,  which  sometimes  left  marshy  flats  and  extensive  bottoms 
between  them  and  the  shore,  and,  in  other  places,  came  down  directly  into 
the  water  with  bold  and  precipitous  bluffs.  Following  with  our  glasses  ih«- 
irregular  shores,  we  searched  for  some  indications  of  a  communication  with 
other  bodies  of  water,  or  the  entrance  of  other  rivers,  but  the  distance  was  so 
great  that  we  could  make  out  nothing  with  certainty.  As  we  looked  over  the 
vast  expanse  of  waters  spread  out  beneath  us,  and  strained  our  eyes  along  the 
silent  shores,  over  which  hung  so  much  doubt  and  uncertainty,  and  which 
were  so  full  of  interest  to  us,  I  could  hardly  repress  the  almost  irresistible  de- 
sire to  continue  our  explorations  ;  but  the  lengthening  snow  on  the  mountains 
was  a  plain  indication  of  the  advancing  season,  and  our  frail  linen  boat  ap- 
peared so  insecure,  that  I  was  unwilling  to  trust  our  lives  to  the  uncertainties 
of  the  lake.  We,  however,  felt  pleasure  in  remembering  that  we  were  the 
first  who,  in  the  traditionary  annals  of  the  country,  had  visited  the  islands, 
and  broken,  with  the  cheerful  sounds  of  human  voices,  the  long  solitude  of 
the  place." 

They  passed  the  night  on  the  island,  kindling  bright  fires  out  of  drift-wood, 
their  slumbers  lulled  by  the  roar  of  the  surf  that  dashed  heavily,  like  ocean 
waves,  upon  the  shores  of  this  inland  sea. 

In  the  morning,  when  they  embarked  for  the  main  land,  the  surf  was  dash- 
ing heavily,  the  lake  was  dark  and  agitated,  and  the  wind  blowing  a  strong 
gale  ahead,  rendered  their  return,  in  their  frail  boat,  one  of  imminent  peril 
and  difficulty. 

In  the  region  of  the  Utah  Lake,  Fremont  encountered  a  poor,  miserable 
race  of  Indians,  known  under  the  name  of  Diggers,  who,  among  human 
beings,  may  be  considered  the  nearest  approach  to  the  animal  creation.  Their 
sole  occupation  was  to  procure  food  sufficient  to  support  mere  animal  exis- 
tence. They  lived  principally  upon  roots,  which  they  dug  from  the  ground; 
hence  their  name.  They  carried  long  forked  sticks,  to  haul  out  lizards  and 
other  small  animals  from  their  holes  for  food.  Their  heads  were  large,  hair 
matted  and  coarse,  and  their  bodies  almost  entirely  naked.  The  expression 
of  their  countenances  strongly  resembled  those  of  beasts  of  prey,  and  all 
their  actions  were  those  of  wild  animals.  Joined  to  the  restless  motion  of 
the  eye,  there  was  a  want  of  mind,  an  absence  of  thought,  and  an  action 
wholly  by  impulse,  strongly  expressed,  and  which  strikingly  recalled  the 
similarity.  These  people  inhabit  the  Great  Basin,  where  they  thus  eke  out  a 
scanty  subsistence  from  seeds,  roots  and  lizards.* 

But  four  years  elapsed  after  the  visit  of  Fremont  to  the  Great  Salt  Lake, 
when  that  region  became  the  abiding-place  of  that  anomaly  of  our  time — the 
Mormons,  the  first  settlers  of  Utah.  Of  their  wanderings  ere  they  found  this 
haven  of  rest,  it  comes  within  the  scope  of  this  article  to  give  an  account, 

*  Farnham,  in  his  Travels,  says  that  these  Indians  are  more  disgusting  than  the  Hottentots. 
Their  heads  are  white  with  the  germs  of  crawling  filth!  They  provide  nothing  for  future  wants. 
And  when  the  lizard  and  snail  are  buried  in  the  snows  of  winter,  they  are  said  to  retire  to  the 
vicinity  of  timber,  and  dig  holes  in  the  form  of  ovens  in  the  steep  sides  of  the  sand-hills,  and,  hav 
ing  heated  them  to  a  certain  degree,  deposit  themselves  in  them,  and  sleep  and  fast  until  the  weather 
permits  them  to  go  abroad  for  food.  Persons  who  have  visited  their  haunts  after  a  severe  winter, 
have  found  the  ground  around  these  family  ovens  strewn  with  the  unburied  bodies  of  the  dead,  and 
others  crawling  among  them,  who  had  various  degrees  of  strength,  from  a  bare  sufficiency  to  gasp 
in  death  to  those  thut  crawled  upon  hands  and  feet,  eating  grass  like  cattle.  It  is  said  that  they 
have  no  weapons  of  defense  but  the  club,  and  in  the  use  of  that  they  are  very  unskillful.  These 
poor  creatures  are  hunted  in  the  spring,  when  weak  and  helpless,  by  a  certain  class  of  men,  and 
vfhen  taken  are  fattened,  and  carried  to  Santa  Fe,  and  sold  as  slaves  during  their  minority.  "  A 
'ikely  girl,"  in  her  teens,  often  brings  $300  or  $400.  The  meu  are  valued  less. 


420  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

which  we  derive  from  the  discourse  of  Thomas  L.  Kane,  Esq.,  delivered  be- 
fore the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  March  26th,  185 ).  Colonei 
Kane  was  with  the  Mormons  for  several  months  during  the  period  of  their 
distressing  flight,  having  been  sent  to  them  after  they  left  Nauvoo,  as  a  confi- 
dential agent  of  the  administration  of  President  Polk,  on  a  mixed  errand, 
charitable  and  political.* 

*  Colonel  Kane  is  a  son  of  the  Hon.  J.  K.  Kane,  Judge  of  the  United  States  District  Court  for 
the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  gentleman  whose  character  is  such  as  to  render  his  tes- 
timony irreproachable.     We  make  this  statement,  because  the  reputation  which  he  gives  the  Mor- 
mons is  so  totally*  variant  with  that  assigned  by  common  rumor.     On  this  point,  we  annex  the  fol 
lowing  from  the  postscript  to  the  second  edition  of  the  discourse  : 

"  I  have  been  annoyed  by  comments  this  hastily  written  discourse  has  elicited.  Well  meaning 
friends  have  even  invited  me  to  note  down  its  remark  in  favor  of  the  Mormons,  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  them  a  readier  acceptance. — I  can  only  make  them  more  express.  The  Truth  must  take 
care  of  itself.  I  not  only  meant  to  deny  that  the  Mormons,  in  any-wise,  fall  below  our  own 
standard  of  morals,  but  1  would  be  distinctly  understood  to  ascribe  to  those  of  their  number  with 
whom  I  associated  in  the  West,  a  general  correctness  of  deportment,  and  purity  of  character  above 
the  average  of  ordinary  communities. 

"  The  farthest  I  can  go  toward  qualifying  my  testimony,  will  be  to  name  the  causes,  to  which,  aa 
a  believer  in  Nature's  compensations,  I  have,  myself,  credited  this  undue  morality. 

"  It  was  partly  attributable,  perhaps,  to  their  forced  abstemiousness  ;  the  diet  of  the  most  fortu- 
nate Mormons  having  been,  for  long-continued  periods,  very  spare,  and  composed  almost  wholly  of 
vegetable  food,  with  few  condiments,  and  no  intoxicating  liquors.  Some  influence  should  be  referred 
also  to  their  custom  of  early  and  equal  marriages,  these  not  being  regulated  by  the  prudential  con- 
siderations which  embarrass  opulent  communities ;  something  more  to  the  supervision  which  waa 
incidental  to  their  nomadic  life,  and  the  habits  it  encouraged  of  disciplined,  but  grateful  industry. 

"  The  chief  cause,  however,  was  probably  found  in  this  fact  The  Mormons,  as  I  saw  them, 
though  a  majority,  were  but  a  portion  of  the  Church  as  it  flourished  in  Illinois.  When  the  perse- 
cution triumphed  there,  and  no  alternative  remained  for  the  steadfast  in  the  faith  but  the  flight  out 
of  Egypt  into  the  Wilderness,  as  it  was  termed,  all  their  fair  weather  friends  forsook  them.  Priests 
and  elders,  scribes  and  preachers  deserted  by  whole  councils  at  a  time  ;  each  talented  knave,  of 
whose  craft  they  had  been  victims,  finding  his  own  pretext  for  abandoning  them,  without  surren- 
dering the  money-bag  of  which  he  was  the  holder. 

"  So  the  Mormons  have  been,  as  it  were,  broken  and  screened  by  calamity.  Their  designing 
leaders  have  left  them  to  seek  fairer  fortunes  elsewhere.  Those  that  remain  of  the  old  rock  are  the 
masses,  always  honest  in  the  main  and  sincere  even  in  delusion  ;  and  their  guides  are  a  few  tried 
and  trusty  men,  little  initiated  in  the  plotting  of  synagogues,  and  more  noted  for  services  rendered 
than  bounties  received.  They  are  the  men  whom  I  saw  on  the  prairie  trail,  sharing  sorrow  with 
the  sorrowful,  and  poverty  with  the  poor  ; — the  chief  of  them  all  (Brigham  Young),  a  man  of  rare 
natural  endowment,  to  whose  masterly  guidance  they  are  mainly  indebted  for  their  present  pros- 
perity, driving  his  own  ox-team  and  carrying  his  sick  child  in  his  arms.  The  fact  explains  itself, 
that  those  only  were  willing  to  undertake  their  fearful  pilgrimage  of  penance,  whom  a  sense  of  con- 
scientious duty  made  willing  to  give  up  the  world  for  their  religion.  The  Mormons,  I  knew,  were 
all,  as  far  as  I  could  judge,  partakers  of  the  sacraments,  persons  of  prayer  and  faith  ;  and  their  con- 
tentment, their  temperance,  their  heroism,  their  strivings  after  the  golden  age  of  Christian  brother- 
hood, were  but  the  manifestations  of  their  ever  present  and  engrossing  devotional  feeling. 

"  Nor  shall  I  go  out  of  my  way  to  discuss  the  question  of  the  former  character  of  the  Mormons. 
What  they  were  in  Illinois,  or  what  some  of  their  predecessors  were  there,  it  will  not  be  difficult  for 
those  to  learn  who  are  curious  after  the  truth  :  the  Hon.  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who  as  President 
Judge  of  the  Circuit  in  which  they  lived  was  often  called  upon  to  dismiss  idle  charges  against  them, 
is  now  at  Washington,  an  honored  member  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States.  His  personal  testi- 
mony, I  am  assured,  has  always  vindicated  his  judicial  action. 

"  Some  good  people  who  believe  the  Mormons  traduced,  ask  me  how  they  are  to  account  for  the 
great  prevalence  of  these  charges  before  the  expulsion.  Interest,  and  feeling  founded  on  it,  is  the 
answer.  The  value  of  the  property  of  which  the  Mormons  were  dispossessed  in  Missouri  and  Illi- 
nois, in  currently  estimated  at  over  twenty  millions  of  dollars:  an  adequate  consideration  certainly 
for  a  good  deal  of  misrepresentation  on  the  part  of  those  who  were  endeavoring  to  appropriate  it  to 
themselves. 

"  With  other  neighbors  the  Mormons  have  no  trouble.  We  have  had  large  numbers  of  them  in 
Philadelphia,  and  eluewhere  to  the  east,  for  now  nearly  twenty  years  past,  whose  good  citizenship  is 
no  subject  of  discussion  with  those  who  have  daily  business  dealings  with  them.  In  England,  too, 
they  number  nearly  twice  as  many  adult  members  as  the  Baptists  in  Pennsylvania. 

"  It  is  observed  to  me  with  a  vile  meaning,  that  I  have  said  little  about  the  Mormon  women.  I 
have  scarcely  alluded  to  them,  because  my  memories  of  them  are  such  th:tt  I  cannot  think  of  their 
character  as  a  theme  for  discussion.  In  one  word,  it  was  eminently  that  which  for  Americans  dig- 
nifies the  names  of  mother,  wife  and  sister.  Of  the  self-denying  generosity  which  went  to  ennoble 
the  whole  people  in  my  eyes,  I  witnessed  among  them  the  brightest  illustrations.  I  have  seen  the 
Ideal  Charity  of  the  statue  gallery  surpassed  by  the  young  Mormon  mother,  who  shared  with  the 
stranger's  crphan  the  breast  of  milk  of  her  owu  child. 


SKETCH  OF  UTAH.  421 

Notwithstanding  the  high  testimony  given  in  the  note  below,  as  to  the 
morality  and  chastity  of  the  Mormons,  we  find  it  impossible  to  reconcile  this 
with  the  prevalence  of  polygamy  which  is  known  to  be  a  prominent  feature 
in  their  system. 

In  the  fall  of  1845,  the  Mormons  at  Nauvoo  finding  it  impossible  to  dwell 
in  peace  with  the  neighboring  settlers,  agreed  with  them  that  their  chief 
elders,  with  others,  should  set  out  as  an  exploring  party  early  in  the  ensuing 
spring,  to  select  a  new  place  of  settlement  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains  in 
California  or  elsewhere,  on  condition  that  the  rest  of  their  people  should  re- 
main undisturbed  in  Illinois,  until  the  selection  had  been  made  and  an  oppor- 
tunity afforded  to  dispose  of  their  property  to  the  best  advantage. 

From  renewed  symptoms  of  hostility,  the  exploring  party,  consisting  of  vo- 
lunteers from  among  their  best  men,  did  not  wait  until  the  opening  of  spring, 
but  left  Nauvoo  in  mid-winter  of  1846-'7,  crossing  the  Mississippi  with  their 
wagons  on  the  ice,  taking  their  families  with  them.  Under  the  most  favor- 
able circumstances,  such  an  expedition  undertaken  at  this  inclement  season, 
could  scarcely  fail  to  be  disastrous.  But  being  hurried  off  they  were  but  illy 
supplied  with  necessaries,  and  the  first  night  the  women  camped  out,  nine 
children  were  born.  The  cold  was  intense;  the  keen  winds  sweeping 
down  from  the  icy  regions  of  the  north  across  the  bare  prairies,  cut  to  the 
marrow.  Wood  was  scarce;  they  were  ill  supplied  with  tents,  and  after  days 
of  fatigue,  they  often  passed  their  nights  in  restless  efforts  to  save  themselves 
from  freezing.  Their  stock  of  food  proved  inadequate,  and  catarrhal  affec- 
tions and  acute  rheumatisms  soon  exhibited  themselves  among  them.  Many 
were  dreadfully  frost-bitten,  and  even  the  hardiest  and  strongest  became  help- 
lessly crippled.  Their  small  supply  of  provender  giving  out,  their  cattle  were 
only  kept  from  starving  by  feeding  on  the  green  bark  and  tender  buds  of  cot- 
ton-wood and  other  stinted  growths  of  the  hollows. 

To  return  to  Nauvoo  was  their  only  hope,  but  this  would  only  give  occa- 
sion for  fresh  mistrust  and  trouble,  and  they  wandered  on  longing  for  the 
spring,  finding  a  sort  of  comfort  in  the  practice  of  psalmody,  "  keeping  up  the 
Songs  of  Zion,  and  passing  along  doxologies  from  front  to  rear,  when  the 
breath  froze  on  their  eyelashes." 

The  long-wished  for  spring  came  at  last,  and  found  them  still  on  the  naked 
prairie,  not  half-way  to  the  Missouri,  with  fresh  difficulties  to  combat.  Snow, 
sleet  and  rain,  made  the  rich  prairie  soil  one  vast  body  of  black  mud,  almost 
impassable ;  heavy  rains  so  raised  the  most  trifling  streams  as  to  occasion 
sometimes  weeks  of  delay.  The  open  winds  of  March  brought  more  mortal 
sickness  than  the  sharpest  freezing  weather.  The  frequent  funerals  made  the 
hardiest  sicken.  Coffins  of  cylindric  shape,  formed  from  the  barks  of  trees, 
were  the  best  they  had;  and  in  these  were  men,  women,  and  children,  with 
prayers  and  psalms  consigned  to  their  last  resting-place.  Such  graves  mark 
all  the  line  of  the  first  year  of  Mormon  travel. 

"  Can  charges,  which  are  so  commonly  and  so  circumstantially  laid,  be  without  any  foundation 
at  all? — I  know  it.  Upon  my  return  from  the  prairie,  I  met  through  the  settlements  scandalous 
stories  against  the  President  of  the  Sect,  which  dated  of  the  precise  period  when  I«  myself,  was  best 
acquainted  with  his  self-denying  and  blameless  life.  I  had  an  experience  no  less  satisfactory  with 
regard  to  other  falsehoods,  some  of  them  the  most  extravagant  and  most  widely  believed.  During 
the  sickness  I  have  referred  to,  I  was  nursed  by  a  dear  lady,  well  connected  in  New  York  and  New 
Jersey,  whom  I  sufficiently  name  to  many,  by  stating  that  she  was  the  first  cousin  of  one  of  our 
most  respected  citizens,  whose  conduct  as  chief  magistrate  of  Philadelphia  in  an  excited  time,  won 
for  iiirn  our  general  esteem.  In  her  exile,  she  found  her  severest  suffering  in  the  belief  that  her 
friends  in  the  States  looked  upon  her  as  irreclaimably  outcast.  It  was  one  of  the  first  duties  I  per- 
formed, on  my  return,  to  enlighten  them  as  to  her  true  position,  and  the  character  of  her  exemplary 
husband  ;  and  the  knowledge  of  this  fact  arrived  in  time,  I  believe,  to  be  of  comfort  to  her  before 
•ho  sank  under  the  priva  ion  and  hardship  of  the  march  her  frame  was  too  delicate 


422  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

"  Want  developed  disease,  and  made  them  sink  under  fatigue  and  maladies 
that  would  otherwise  have  proved  trifling.  But  only  those  died  of  it  outright, 
who  fell  in  out-of-the-way  places  that  the  hand  of  brotherhood  could  not 
reach.  Among  the  rest  no  such  thing  as  plenty  was  known,  while  any  went 
a-hungered.  If  but  a  part  of  a  group  was  supplied  with  provisions,  the  only 
result  was  that  the  whole  went  on  the  half  or  quarter  ration,  according  to  the 
sufficiency  that  there  was  among  them:  and  this  so  ungrudgingly  and  con- 
tentedly, that  until  some  crisis  of  trial  to  their  strength,  they  were  themselves 
unaware  that  their  health  was  sinking,  and  their  vital  force  impaired. 

"Hale  young  men  gave  up  their  own  provided  food  and  shelter  to  the  old 
and  helpless,  and  walked  their  way  back  to  parts  of  the  frontier  States, 
chiefly  Missouri  and  Iowa,  where  they  were  not  recognized,  and  hired  them- 
selves  out  for  wages,  to  purchase  more.  Others  were  sent  there  to  exchange 
for  meal  and  flour,  or  wheat  and  corn,  the  table  and  bed  furniture,  and  other 
last  resources  of  personal  property  which  a  few  had  still  retained.  In  a 
kindred  spirit  of  fraternal  forecast,  others  laid  out  great  farms  in  the  wilds, 
and  planted  in  them  the  grain  saved  foritheir  own  bread;-  that  there  might  be 
harvests  for  those  who  should  follow  them.  Two  of  these,  in  the  Sac  and 
Fox  country  and  beyond  it,  included  within  their  fences  about  two  miles  of. 
land  a-piece,  carefully  planted  in  grain,  with  a  hamlet  of  comfortable  log- 
cabins  in  the  neighborhood  of  each. 

"  Through  all  this  the  pioneers  found  redeeming  comfort  in  the  thought, 
that  their  own  suffering  was  the  price  of  immunity  to  their  friends  at  home. 
But  the  arrival  of  spring  proved  this  a  delusion.  Before  the  warm  weather 
had  made  the  earth  dry  enough  for  easy  travel,  messengers  came  in  from 
Nauvoo  to  overtake  the  party  with  fear-exaggerated  tales  of  outrage,  and  to 
urge  the  chief  men  to  hurry  back  to  the  city  that  they  might  give  counsel 
and  assistance  there.  The  enemy  had  only  waited  until  the  emigrants  were 
supposed  to  be  gone  on  their  road  too  far  to  return  to  interfere  with  them, 
and  then  renewed  their  aggressions. 

"The  Mormons  outside  Nauvoo  were  indeed  hard  pressed;  but  inside  the 
city  they  maintained  themselves  very  well  for  two  or  three  months  longer. 
Strange  to  say,  the  chief  part  of  this  respite  was  devoted  to  completing  the 
structure  of  their  quaintly  devised  but  beautiful  Temple.  Since  the  disper- 
sion of  Jewry,  probably,  history  affords  us  no  parallel  to  the  attachment  of 
the  Mormons  for  this  edifice.  Every  architectural  element,  every  most  fan- 
tastic emblem  it  embodied,  was  associated,  for  them,  with  some  cherished 
feature  of  their  religion.  Its  erection  had  been  enjoined  upon  them  as  a  most 
sacred  duty:  they  were  proud  of  the  honor  conferred  upon  their  city,  when  it 
grew  up  in  its  splendor  to  become  the  chief  object  of  the  admiration  of  stran- 
gers upon  the  Upper  Mississippi.  Beside,  they  had  built  it  as  a  labor  of 
love;  they  could  count  up  to  half  a  million  the  value  of  their  tithings  and 
free-will  offerings  laid  upon  it.  Hardly  a  Mormon  woman  had  not  given  up 
to  it  some  trinket  or  pin-money:  the  poorest  Mormon  man  had  at  least  served 
the  tenth  part  of  his  year  upon  its  walls ;  and  the  coarsest  artisan  could  turn 
to  it  with  something  of  the  ennobling  attachment  of  an  artist  for  his  fair  crea- 
tion. Therefore,  though  their  enemies  drove  on  them  ruthlessly,  they  suc- 
ceeded in  parrying  the  last  sword-thrust,  until  they  had  completed  even  the 
gilding  of  the  angel  and  trumpet  on  the  summit  of  its  lofty  spire.  As  a  clos- 
ing work,  they  placed  on  the  entablature  cf  the  front,  like  a  baptismal  mark 
on  the  forehead : 


SKETCH  OF  UTAH.  423 


THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  LORD: 

BUILT  BY  THE  CHURCH  OF  JESUS  CHRIST  OF  LATTER-DAY  SAINTS. 
HOLINESS  TO  THE  LORD! 


"For  that  one  day  the  Temple  stood  resplendent  in  all  its  typical  glories 
'/f  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  and  other  abounding  figured  and  lettered  signs,  hiero- 
glyphs and  symbols:  but  that  day  only.  The  sacred  rites  of  consecration 
ended,  the  work  of  removing  the  sacrosancta  proceeded  with  the  rapidity  of 
magic.  It  went  on  through  the  night ;  and  when  the  morning  of  the  next 
day  dawned,  all  the  ornaments  and  furniture,  everything  that  could  provoke  a 
sneer,  had  been  carried  off;  and  except  some  fixtures  that  would  not  bear  re- 
moval, the  building  was  dismantled  to  the  bare  walls. 

"  It  was  this  day  saw  the  departure  of  the  last  elders,  and  the  largest  band 
that  moved  in  one  company  together.  The  people  of  Iowa  have  told  me, 
that  from  morning  to  night,  they  passed  westward  like  an  endless  procession. 
They  did  not  seem  greatly  out  of  heart,  they  said;  but,  at  the  top  of  every 
hill,  before  they  disappeared,  they  were  to  be  seen  looking  back,  like  banished 
Moors,  on  their  abandoned  homes,  and  the  far-seen  Temple  and  its  glittering 
spire.  After  this  consecration,  which  was  construed  to  indicate  an  insincerity 
on  the  part  of  the  Mormons  as  to  their  stipulated  departure,  or  at  least  a  hope 
of  return,  their  foes  set  upon  them  with  renewed  bitterness."  * 

Delayed  by  their  own  wants  and  by  their  exertions  to  provide  for  the  wants 
of  those  who  were  to  come  after  them,  it  was  not  until  June,  before  the  pio- 
neer party  arrived  at  the  Missouri.  They  were  soon  after  joined  by  thou- 
sands of  others  who  had  left  Nauvoo  later  in  the  season.  This  was  just  at 
the  commencement  of  the  war  with  Mexico.  Gen.  Kearney,  who  was  at  this 
time  recruiting  an  army  for  the  conquest  of  New  Mexico  and  California,  was 
at  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  considered  it  desirable  to  march  a  body  of  reliable 
infantry  thither  at  as  early  a  period  as  practicable.  For  this  service  the 
known  hardihood  and  habits  of  the  Mormons  were  supposed  peculiarly  to  fit 
them. 

"  As  California  was  supposed  also  to  be  their  ultimate  destination,  the 
long  march  might  cost  them  less  than  other  citizens.  They  were  accordingly 
invited  to  furnish  a  battalion  of  volunteers  early  in  the  month  of  July.  The 
call  could  hardly  have  been  more  inconveniently  timed.  The  young,  and 
those  who  could  best  have  been  spared,  were  then  away  from  the  main  body, 
either  with  pioneer  companies  in  the  van,  or,  their  faith  unannounced,  seek- 
ing work  and  food  about  the  north-western  settlements,  to  support  them  until 
the  return  of  the  season  for  commencing  emigration.  The  force  was  there- 
fore to  be  recruited  from  among  fathers  of  families,  and  others  whose  presence 
it  wras  most  desirable  to  retain. 

"  There  were  some,  too,  who  could  not  view  the  invitation  without  jealousy. 
They  had  twice  been  persuaded  by  (State)  Government  authorities  in  Illinois  and 
Missouri,  to  give  up  their  arms  on  some  special  appeals  to  their  patriotic  con- 
fidence and  had  then  been  left  to  the  malice  of  their  enemies.  And  now  they 
were  asked,  in  the  midst  of  the  Indian  country,  to  surrender  over  five  hun- 
dred of  their  best  men  for  a  war-march  of  thousands  of  miles  to  California, 
without  the  hope  of  return  until  after  the  conquest  of  that  country.  Could 

*  The  Mormon  Temple  was  totally  destroyed  by  an  incendiary,  the  year  afler,  Oct.  19th,  1348. 


424  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

they  view  such  a  proposition  with  favor?  But  the  feeling  of  country  tri- 
umphed. The  Union  had  never  wronged  them  :  "  You  shall  have  your  battal- 
ion at  once,  if  it  has  to  be  a  class  of  our  elders,"  said  one,  himself  a  ruling 
elder.  A  central  'mass  meeting'  for  Council,  some  harangues  at  the  more  re 
motely  scattered  camps,  an  American  flag  brought  out  from  the  store-house  of 
things  rescued,  and  hoisted  to  the  top  of  a  tree  mast — and,  in  three  days,  the 
force — five  hundred  and  twenty  in  number,  was  reported,  mustered,  organized, 
and  ready  to  march. 

"  There  was  no  sentimental  affection  at  their  leave-taking.  The  afternoon 
before  was  appropriated  to  a  farewell  ball ;  and  a  more  merry  dancing  rout  I 
have  never  seen,  though  the  company  went  without  refreshments,  and  their 
ball-room  was  of  the  most  primitive.  It  was  the  custom,  whenever  the  larger 
camps  rested  for  a  few  days  together,  to  make  great  arbors,  or  bowers,  as 
they  called  them,  of  poles  and  brush  and  wattling,  as  places  of  shelter  for 
their  meetings  of  devotion  or  conference.  In  one  of  these,  where  the  ground 
had  been  trodden  firm  and  hard  by  the  worshipers  of  the  popular  Father  Tay 
lor's  precinct,  were  gathered  now  the  youth  and  beauty  of  the  Mormon 
Israel. 

"  If  anything  told  the  Mormons  had  been  bred  to  other  lives,  it  was  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  women,  as  they  assembled  here.  Before  their  flight,  they 
had  sold  their  watches  and  trinkets  as  the  most  available  resource  for  raising 
ready  money  ;  and  hence,  like  their  partners,  who  wore  waistcoats  cut  with 
useless  watch-pockets,  they,  although  their  ears  were  pierced  and  bore  the 
loop-marks  of  rejected  pendants,  appeared  without  ear-rings,  chains  or  brooches. 
Except  such  ornaments,  however,  they  lacked  nothing  most  becoming  the  at- 
tire of  decorous  maidens.  The  neatly  darned  white  stocking,  and  clean  bright 
petticoat,  the  artistically  clear-starched  collar  and  chemisette,  the  something 
faded,  only  because  too  well  washed,  lawn  or  gingham  gown,  that  fitted 
modishly  to  the  waist  of  its  pretty  wearer, — these,  if  any  of  them  spoke  of 
poverty,  spoke  of  a,  poverty  that  had  known  its  better  days. 

"  With  the  rest,  attended  the  elders  of  the  church  within  call,  including 
nearly  all  the  chiefs  of  the  High  Council,  with  their  wives  and  children. 
They,  the  gravest  and  most  trouble-worn,  seemed  the  most  anxious  of  any  to 
be  first  to  throw  off  the  burden  of  heavy  thoughts.  Their  leading  off  the 
dancing  in  a  great  double  cotillion  was  the  signal  for  the  festivity  to  commence. 
Light  hearts,  lithe  figures  and  light  feet,  had  it  their  own  way  from  an  early 
hour  until  after  the  sun  had  dipped  behind  the  sharp  sky  line  of  the  Omaha 
hills.  Silence  was  then  callea,  and  a  well  cultivated  mezzosoprano  voice, 
belonging  to  a  young  lady  with  fair  face  and  dark  eyes,  gave  with  quartette 
accompaniment  a  little  song, — a  version  of  the  text,  touching  to  all  earthly 
wanderers : 

"  By  the  rivers  of  Babylon  we  sat  down  and  wept." 
"  We   wept  when  we  remembered  Zion." 

"  There  was  danger  of  some  expression  of  feeling  when  the  song  was  over, 
for  it  had  begun  to  draw  tears  ;  but  breaking  the  quiet  with  his  hard  voice,  an 
elder  asked  the  blessing  of  Heaven  on  all  who,  with  purity  of  heart  and  brother- 
hood  of  spirit,  had  mingled  in  that  society,  and  then,  all  dispersed,  hasten- 
ing to  cover  from  the  falling  dews. 

"Well  as  I  knew  the  peculiar  fondness  of  the  Mormons  for  music,  their 
orchestra  in  service  on  this  occasion  astonished  me  by  its  numbers  and  fine 
drill.  The  story  was,  that  an  eloquent  Mormon  missionary  had  converted 
its  members  in  a  body  at  an  English  town,  a  stronghold  of  the  sect,  and  that 
they  took  up  their  trumpets,  trombones,  drums  and  hautboys  together,  and 
followed  him  to  America. 


SKETCH   OF  UTAH.  425 

"  When  the  refugees  from  Nauvoo  were  hastening  to  part  with  their  table- 
ware, jewelry,  and  almost  every  other  fragment  of  metal  wealth  they  posses- 
sed that  was  not  iron,  they  had  never  even  thought  of  giving  up  the  instruments 
of  this  favorite  band.  And  when  the  battalion  was  enlisted,  though  high  in- 
ducements were  offered  some  of  the  performers  to  accompany  it,  they  all  re- 
fused. Their  fortunes  went  with  the  Camp  of  the  Tabernacle.  They  had 
led  the  Farewell  service  in  the  Nauvoo  Temple.  Their  office  now  was  to 
guide  the  monster  choruses  and  Sunday  hymns ;  and  like  the  trumpets  of  sil- 
ver, made  of  a  whole  piece  '  for  the  calling  of  the  assembly,  and  for  the  jour- 
neying of  the  camps,'  to  knoll  the  people  into  church.  Some  of  their  wind 
instruments,  indeed,  were  uncommonly  full  and  pure  toned,  and  in  that  clear 
dry  air  could  be  heard  to  a  great  distance.  It  had  the  strangest  effect  in  the 
world,  to  listen  to  their  sweet  music  winding  over  the  uninhabited  country; 
something  in  the  style  of  a  Moravian  death-tune  blown  at  day-break,  but  al- 
together unique.  It  might  be  when  you  were  hunting  a  ford  over  the  Great 
Platte,  the  dreariest  of  all  wild  rivers,  perplexed  among  the  far-reaching  sand- 
bars and  curlew  shallows  of  its  shifting  bed  — the  wind  rising  would  bring 
you  the  first  faint  thought  of  a  melody ;  and,  as  you  listened,  borne  down 
upon  the  gust  that  swept  past  you,  a  cloud  of  the  dry  sifted  sands,  youvrecog- 
nized  it — perhaps  a  home-loved  theme  of  Henry  Proch  or  Mendelssohn  Bar- 
tholdy,  away  there  in  the  Indian  Marches !" 

The  summer  camps  of  the  Mormons  formed  interesting  spectacles.  They 
were  gay  with  bright  white  canvas,  and  alive  with  the  busy  stir  of  swarming 
occupants.  In  the  clear  blue  morning  air,  the  smoke  streamed  up  from  more 
than  a  thousand  cooking  fires.  Countless  roads  and  by-paths  checkered  all 
manner  of  geometric  figures  on  the  hill  sides.  On  the  slopes,  herd  boys  were 
seen  lazily  watching  immense  herds  of  cattle,  sheep,  horses,  cows  and  oxen. 
Along  the  creeks — where  they  were  sometimes  pitched — women,  in  great 
force,  would  be  washing  and  rinsing  all  manner  of  white  muslins,  red  flannels, 
and  parti-colored  calicoes,  and  covering  acres  of  grass-plat  with  their  vari- 
ously hued  garments.  Groups  of  merry  children  were  playing  among  the 
tents. 

"  The  romantic,  devotional  observance  of  the  Mormons,  and  their  admira- 
ble concert  of  purpose  and  action,  met  the  eye  at  once.  After  these,  the 
stranger  was  most  struck,  perhaps,  by  the  strict  order  of  march,  the  uncon- 
fused  closing  up  to  meet  attack,  the  skillful  securing  of  the  cattle  upon  the 
halt,  the  system  with  which  the  watches  were  set  at  night  to  guard  them  and 
the  lines  of  corral — with  other  similar  circumstances  indicative  of  the  main- 
tenance of  a  high  state  of  discipline.  Every  ten  of  their  wagons  was  under 
the  care  of  a  captain.  This  captain  of  ten,  as  they  termed  him,  obeyed  a 
captain  of  fifty  ;  who,  in  turn,  obeyed  his  captain  of  a  hundred,  or  directly  a-, 
member  of  what  they  call  the  High  Council  of  the  Church.  All  these  were 
responsible  and  determined  men,  approved  of  by  the  people  for  their  courage,, 
discretion  and  experience.  So  well  recognized  were  the  results  of  this  organi- 
zation, that  bands  of  hostile  Indians  have  passed  by  comparatively  small  parties, 
of  Mormons,  to  attack  much  larger,  but  less  compact  bodies  of  other  emigrants. 

"  The  most  striking  feature,  however,  of  the  Mormon  emigration,  was  un- 
doubtedly their  formation  of  the  Tabernacle  Camps  and  temporary  stakes,  or 
•settlements,  which  renewed  in  the  sleeping  solitudes  everywhere  along  their 
road,  the  cheering  signs  of  intelligent  and  hopeful  life. 

"  I  will  make  this  remark  plainer  by  describing  to  you  one  of  these  camps, 
with  the  daily  routine  of  its  inhabitants.     I  select  at  random,  for  my  purpose,, 
a  large  camp  upon  the  delta  between  the  Nebraska  and  Missouri,  in  the  ter- 
ritory disputed  between  the  Omaha  and  Otto  and  Missouri  Indians.     It  re- 
53 


426  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

mained  pitched  here  for  nearly  two  months,  during  which  period  I  resided  in 
it.  It  was  situated  near  the  Petit  Papillon,  or  Little  Butterfly  River,  and 
upon  some  finely  rounded  hills  that  encircle  a  favorite  cool  spring.  On  each 
of  these  a  square  was  marked  out;  and  the  wagons,  as  they  arrived,  took  their 
positions  along  its  four  sides  in  double  rows,  so  as  to  leave  a  roomy  street  or 
passageway  between  them.  The  tents  were  disposed  also  in  rows,  at  inter- 
vals between  the  wagons.  The  cattle  were  folded  in  high-fenced  yards  out- 
side. The  quadrangle  inside  was  left  vacant  for  the  sake  of  ventilation,  and 
the  streets,  covered  in  with  leafy  arbor-work  and  kept  scrupulously  clean, 
formed  a  shaded  cloister  walk.  This  was  the  place  of  exercise  for  slowly  re- 
covering invalids,  the  day-home  of  the  infants,  and  the  evening  promenade 
of  all. 

"  From  the  first  formation  of  the  camp,  all  its  inhabitants  were  constantly 
and  laboriously  occupied.  Many  of  them  were  highly  educated  mechanics, 
and  seemed  only  to  need  a  day's  anticipated  rest  to  engage  them  at  the  forge, 
loom,  or  turning  lathe,  upon  some  needed  chore  of  work.  A  Mormon  gun- 
smith is  the  inventor  of  the  excellent  repeating  rifle,  that  loads  by  slides  in- 
stead of  cylinders  ;  and  one  of  the  neatest  finished  fire-arms  I  have  ever  seen 
was  of  this  kind,  wrought  from  scraps  of  old  iron,  and  inlaid  with  the  silver 
of  a  couple  of  half  dollars,  under  a  hot  July  sun,  in  a  spot  where  the  average 
height  of  the  grass  was  above  the  workman's  shoulders.  I  have  seen  a  cob- 
bler, after  the  halt  of  his  party  on  the  march,  hunting  along  the  river  bank  for 
.a  lap-stone  in  the  twilight,  that  he  might  finish  a  famous  boot  sole  by  the 
camp-fire  ;  and  I  have  had  a  piece  of  cloth,  the  wool  of  which  was  sheared, 
and  dyed,  and  spun,  and  woven,  during  a  progress  of  over  three  hundred  miles. 

"  Their  more  interesting  occupations,  however,  were  those  growing  out  of 
-their  peculiar  circumstances  and  position.  The  chiefs  were  seldom  without 
some  curious  affair  on  hand  to  settle  with  the  restless  Indians ;  while  the  im- 
mense labor  and  responsibility  of  the  conduct  of  their  unwieldy  moving  army, 
•and  the  commissariat  of  its  hundreds  of  famishing  poor,  also  devolved  upon 
them.  They  had  good  men  they  called  Bishops,  whose  special  office  it  was 
to  look  up  the  cases  of  extremest  suffering;  and  their  relief  parties  were  out 
•night  and  day  to  scour  over  every  trail. 

"  At  this  time,  say  two  months  before  the  final  expulsion  from  Nauvoo, 
•there  were  already,  along  three  hundred  miles  of  the  road  between  that  city 
and  our  Papillon  Camp,  over  two  thousand  emigrating  wagons,  beside  a  large 
-number  of  nondescript  turn-outs,  the  motley  make-shifts  of  poverty;  from  the 
unsuitably  heavy  cart  that  lumbered  on  mysteriously  with  its  sick  driver  hid- 
den under  its  counterpane  cover,  to  the  crazy  two-wheeled  trundle,  such  as 
'Our  poor  employ  for  the  conveyance  of  their  slop  barrels — this  pulled  along  it 
may  be  by  a  little  dry  druggea  heifer,  and  rigged  up  only  to  drag  some  such 
'light  weight  as  a  baby,  a  sack  of  meal,  or  a  pack  of  clothes  and  bedding. 

"  Some  of  them  were  in  distress  of  losses  upon  the  way.  A  strong  trait 
•of  the  Mormons  was  their  kindness  to  their  brute  dependents,  and  particular- 
ly to  their  beasts  of  draught.  They  gave  them  the  holiday  of  the  Sabbath 
whenever  it  came  round ;  I  believe  they  would  have  washed  them  with  old 
-wine,  after  the  example  of  the  emigrant  Carthaginians,  had  they  had  any. 
Still,  in  the  slave-coast  heats,  under  which  the  animals  had  to  move,  they 
-sometimes  foundered.  Sometimes,  too,  they  strayed  off  in  the  night,  or  were 
mired  in  morasses ; — or  oftener  were  stolen  by  Indians,  who  found  market 
•covert  for  such  plunder  among  the  horse-thief  whites  of  the  frontier.  But  the 
great  mass  of  these  pilgrims  of  the  desert  was  made  up  of  poor  folks,  who  had 
ned  in  destitution  from  Nauvoo,  and  been  refused  a  resting-place  by  the  peo- 
ple of  Iowa.  It  is  difficult  fully  to  understand  the  state  of  helplessness  in 


SKETCH  OF  UTAH.  427 

which  some  of  these  would  arrive,  after  accomplishing  a  journey  of  such  ex- 
tent, under  circumstances  of  so  much  privation  and  peril.  The  fact  was,  they 
seemed  to  believe  that  all  their  trouble  would  be  at  an  end  if  they  could  only 
come  up  with  their  comrade  at  the  Great  Camps.  For  this  they  calculated 
their  resources,  among  which  their  power  of  endurance  was  by  much  the 
largest  and  most  reliable  item,  and  they  were  not  disappointed  if  they  arrived 
with  these  utterly  exhausted. 

"  Beside  the  common  duty  of  guiding  and  assisting  these  unfortunates,  the 
companies  in  the  van  united  in  providing  the  highway  for  the  entire  body  of 
emigrants.  The  Mormons  have  laid  out  for  themselves  a  road  through  the 
Indian  Territory,  over  four  hundred  leagues  in  length,  with  substantial,  well- 
built  bridges,  fit  for  the  passage  of  heavy  artillery,  over  all  the  streams,,  ex- 
cept  a  few  great  rivers  where  they  have  established  permanent  ferries.  The 
nearest  unfinished  bridging  to  the  Papillon  Camp,  was  that  of  the  Corne  a 
Cerf,  or  Elkhorn,  a  tributary  of  the  Platte,  distant  may  be  a  couple  of  hours' 
march.  Here,  in  what  seemed  to  be  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  there 
rose  the  seven  great  piers  and  abutments  of  a  bridge,  such  as  might  challenge 
honors  for  the  entire  public  spirited  population  of  lower  Virginia.  The  party 
detailed  to  the  task  worked  in  the  broiling  sun,  in  water  beyond  depth,  and 
up  to  their  necks,  as  if  engaged  in  the  perpetration  of  some  pointed  and  de- 
lightful practical  joke.  The  chief  sport  lay  in  floating  along  with  the  logs, 
cut  from  the  overhanging  timber  up  the  stream,  guiding  them  until  they  reached 
their  destination,  and  then  plunging  them  under  water  in  the  precise  spot 
where  they  were  to  be  secured. 

"  After  the  sorrowful  word  was  given  out  to  halt,  and  make  preparations 
for  winter,  a  chief  labor  became  the  making  hay ;  and  with  every  day  dawn 
brigades  of  mowers  would  take  up  the  march  to  their  positions  in  chosen 
meadows — a  prettier  sight  than  a  charge  of  cavalry — as  they  laid  their  swaths, 
whole  companies  of  scythes  abreast.  Before  this  time  the  manliest,  as  well 
as  most  general  daily  labor,  was  the  herding  of  the  cattle  ;  the  only  wealth  of 
the  Mormons,  and  more  and  more  cherished  by  them,  with  the  increasing 
pastoral  character  of  their  lives.  A  camp  could  not  be  pitched  in  any  spot 
without  soon  exhausting  the  freshness  of  the  pasture  around  it ;  and  it  became 
an  ever  recurring  task  to  guide  the  cattle,  in  unbroken  droves,  to  the  nearest 
places  where  it  was  still  fresh  and  fattening. 

"Inside  the  camp,  the  chief  labors  were  assigned  to  the  women.  From  the 
moment  when,  after  the  halt,  the  lines  had  been  laid,  the  spring  wells  dug 
out,  and  the  ovens  and  fire-places  built,  though  the  men  still  assumed  to  set 
the  guard  and  enforce  the  regulations  of  Police,  the  Empire  of  the  Tented 
Town  was  with  the  better  se'x.  They  were  the  chief  comforters  of  the  sever- 
est sufferings,  the  kind  nurses  who  gave  them  in  their  sickness  those  dear  at- 
tentions with  which  pauperism  is  hardly  poor,  and  which  the  greatest  wealth 
often  fails  to  buy.  And  they  were  a  nation  of  wonderful  managers.  They 
could  hardly  be  called  housewives  in  etymological  strictness,  but  it  was  plain, 
that  they  had  once  been  such,  and  most  distinguished  ones.  Their  art  availed 
them  in  their  changed  affairs.  With  almost  their  entire  culinary  material 
limited  to  the  milk  of  their  cows,  some  store  of  meal  or  flour,  and  a  very  few 
condiments,  they  brought  their  thousand  and  one  receipts  into  play  with  a 
success  that  outdid  for  their  families,  the  miracle  of  the  Hebrew  widow's 
cruse.  They  learned  to  make  butter  on  a  march,  by  the  dashing  of  the 
wagon,  and  so  nicely  to  calculate  the  working  of  barm  in  the  jolting  heats, 
that  as  soon  after  the  halt  as  an  oven  could  be  dug  in  the  hill  side  and 
heated,  their  well  kneaded  loaf  was  ready  for  baking,  and  produced  good 
Jeavened  bread  for  supper. 


428  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

"But  the  first  duty  of  the  Mormon  women  was,  through  all  change  of 
place  and  fortune,  to  keep  alive  the  altar  fire  of  home.  Whatever  their  mani- 
fold labors  for  the  day,  it  was  their  effort  to  complete  them  against  the  sacred 
hour  of  evening  fall.  For  by  that  time  all  the  out-workers,  scouts,  ferrymen 
or  bridgemen,  roadmakers,  herdsmen  or  haymakers,  had  finished  their  tasks 
and  come  into  their  rest.  And  before  the  last  smoke  of  the  supper  fire 
curled  up  reddening  in  the  glow  of  sunset,  a  hundred  chimes  of  cattle  bells 
announced  their  looked-for  approach  across  the  open  hills,  and  the  women 
went  out  to  meet  them  at  the  camp  gates,  and  with  their  children  in  their  laps 
sat  by  them  at  the  cherished  family  meal,  and  talked  over  the  events  of  the 
well-spent  day. 

"But  every  day  closed  as  every  day  began,  with  an  invocation  of  the  Di- 
vine favor;  without  which,  indeed,  no  Mormon  seemed  to  dare  to  lay  him 
down  to  rest.  With  the  first  shining  of  the  stars,  laughter  and  loud  talking 
hushed,  the  neighbor  went  his  way,  you  heard  the  last  hymn  sung,  and  then 
the  thousand-voiced  murmur  of  prayer  was  heard  like  babbling  water  falling 
down  the  hills.  There  was  no  austerity,  however,  about  the  religion  of 
Mormonism.  Their  fasting  and  penance,  it  is  no  jest  to  say,  was  altogether 
involuntary.  They  made  no  merit  of  that.  They  kept  the  Sabbath  with 
considerable  strictness :  they  were  too  close  copyists  of  the  wanderers  of  Is- 
rael in  other  respects  not  to  have  learned,  like  them,  the  value  of  this  most 
admirable  of  the  Egypto-Mosaic  institutions.  But  the  rest  of  the  week,  their 
religion  was  independent  of  ritual  observance. 

"The  Mormons  took  the  young  and  hopeful  side  of  discouraging  mishaps. 
They  could  make  sport  and  frolic  of  their  trials,  and  often  turn  right  sharp 
suffering  into  right  round  laughter  against  themselves.  I  certainly  heard 
more  jests  and  Joe  Millers  while  in  this  Papillon  Camp,  than  I  am  likely  to 
hear  in  all  the  remainder  of  my  days.  This,  too,  was  at  a  time  of  serious 
affliction.  Beside  the  ordinary  suffering  from  insufficient  food  and  shelter, 
distressing  and  mortal  sickness,  exacerbated,  if  not  originated  by  these  causes, 
was  generally  prevalent.  In  the  camp  nearest  us  on  the  west,  which  was  that 
of  the  bridging  party  near  the  Corne,  the  number  of  its  inhabitants  being 
small  enough  to  invite  computation,  I  found,  as  early  as  the  31st  of  July,  that 
thirty-seven  per  cent,  of  its  inhabitants  were  down  with  the  fever  and  a  sort 
of  strange  scorbutic  disease,  frequently  fatal,  which  they  named  the  Black 
Canker.  The  camps  to  the  east  of  us,  which  were  all  on  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Missouri,  were  yet  worse  fated. 

"  In  some  of  these,  the  fever  prevailed  to  such  an  extent  that  hardly  any 
escaped  it.  They  let  their  cows  go  unmilked.  They  wanted  for  voices  to 
raise  the  psalm  of  Sundays.  The  few  who  were  able  to  keep  their  feet, 
went  among  the  tents  and  wagons  with  food  and  water,  like  nurses  through 
the  wards  of  an  infirmary.  Here  at  one  time  the  digging  got  behind  hand: 
burials  were  slow ;  and  you  might  see  women  sit  in  the  open  tents  keeping 
the  Hies  off  their  dead  children,  sometime  after  decomposition  had  set  in. 

"Though  the  season  was  late,  when  they  first  crossed  the  Missouri,  some 
of  them  moved  forward  with  great  hopefulness,  full  of  the  notion  of  viewing 
and  choosing  their  new  homes  that  year.  But  the  van  had  only  reached 
Grand  Island  and  the  Pawnee  villages,  when  they  were  overtaken  by  more 
ill  news  from  Nauvoo.  Before  the  summer  closed,  their  enemies  set  upon 
the  last  remnant  of  those  who  were  left  behind  in  Illinois.  They  were  a  few 
lingerers,  who  could  not  be  persuaded  but  tljere  might  yet  be  time  for  them  to 
gather  up  their  worldly  goods  before  removing,  some  weakly  mothers  and 
their  infants,  a  few  delicate  young  girls,  and  many  cripples  and  bereaved  and 
sick  people.  These  had  remained  under  shelter,  according  to  the  Mormon 


SKETCH  OF  UTAH.  429 

statement  at  least,  by  virtue  of  an  express  covenant  in  their  behalf.  If  there 
was  such  a  covenant,  it  was  broken.  A  vindictive  war  was  waged  upon 
them,  from  which  the  weakest  fled  in  scattered  parties,  leaving  the  rest  to 
make  a  reluctant  and  almost  ludicrously  unavailing  defense,  until  the  17th 
day  of  September,  when  1625  troops  entered  Nauvoo,  and  drove  all  forth  who 
had  not  retreated  before  that  time. 

"  Like  the  wounded  birds  of  a  flock  fired  into  toward  nightfall,  they  came 
straggling  on  with  faltering  steps,  many  of  them  without  bag  or  baggage, 
beast  or  barrow,  all  asking  shelter  or  burial,  and  forcing  a  fresh  repetition 
of  the  already  divided  rations  of  their  friends.  It  was  plain  now,  that  every 
energy  must  be  taxed  to  prevent  the  entire  expedition  from  perishing.  Fur- 
ther emigration  for  the  time  was  out  of  the  question,  and  the  whole  people 
prepared  themselves  for  encountering  another  winter  on  the  prairie. 

"  Upon  the  Pottawatamie  lands,  scattered  through  the  border  regions  of 
Missouri  and  Iowa,  in  the  Sac  and  Fox  country,  a  few  among  the  lowas, 
among  the  Poncahs  in  a  great  company  upon  the  banks  of  the  L'Eau  qui 
Coule,  or  Running  Water  River,  and  at  their  Omaha*  winter  quarters,  the 
Mormons  sustained  themselves  through  the  heavy  winter  of  1846-'47.  It 
was  the  severest  of  their  trials.  And  if  I  aimed  at  rhetorical  effect,  I  would 
be  bound  to  offer  you  a  minute  narrative  of  its  progress,  as  a  sort  of  climax  to 
my  history.  But  I  have,  I  think,  given  you  enough  of  the  Mormons' 
sorrows. 

'.'This  winter  was  the  turning  point  of  the  Mormon  fortunes.  Those  who 
lived  through  it  were  spared  to  witness  the  gradual  return  of  better  times ; 
and  they  now  liken  it  to  the  passing  of  a  dreary  night,  since  which  they 
have  watched  the  coming  of  a  steadily  brightening  day. 

"Before  the  grass  growth  of  1847,  a  body  of  one  hundred  and  forty-three 
picked  men,  with  seventy  wagons  drawn  by  their  be?t  horses,  left  the  Omaha 
quarters,  under  the  command  of  the  members  of  the  High  Council  who  had_ 
wintered  there.  They  carried  little  with  them  but  seed  and  farming  imple- 
ments, their  aim  being  to  plant  spring  crops  at  their  ultimate  destination. 
They  relied  on  their  rifle's  to  give  them  food,  but  rarely  left  their  road  in 
search  of  game.  They  made  long  daily  marches,  and  moved  with  as  much 
rapidity  as  possible. 

"Against  the  season  when  ordinary  emigration  passes  the  Missouri,  they 
were  already  through  the  South  Pass;  and  a  couple  of  short  days'  travel  be- 
yond it,  entered  upon  the  more  arduous  portion  of  their  journey.  It  lay  in 
earnest  through  the  Rocky  Mountains.  They  turned  Fremont's  Peak,  Long's 
Peak,  the  Twins,  and  other  king  summits,  but  had  to  force  their  way  over 
other  mountains  of  the  rugged  Utah  range,  sometimes  following  the  stony 
bed  of  torrents,  the  head-waters  of  some  of  the  mightiest  rivers  of  our  conti- 
nent, and  sometimes  literally  cutting  their  road  through  heavy  and  ragged  tim- 
ber. They  arrived  at  the  grand  basin  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  much  exhausted, 
but  without  losing  a  man,  and  in  time  to  plant  for  a  partial  autumn  harvest. 

"  Another  party  started  after  these  pioneers,  from  the  Omaha  winter  quar- 
ters in  the  summer.  They  had  five  hundred  and  sixty-six  wagons,  and  car- 
ried large  quantities  of  grain,  which  they  were  able  to  put  in  the  ground  be- 
fore  it  froze. 

*  This  was  the  head-quarters  of  the  Mormon  Camps  of  Israel.  The  miles  of  rich  prairie  in- 
closed and  sowed  with  the  grain  they  could  contrive  to  spare,  and  the  houses,  stocks,  and  cattle 
shelters,  had  the  seeming  of  an  entire  county,  with  its  people  and  improvements  transplanted  there 
unbroken.  On  a  pretty  plateau  overlooking  the  river,  they  built  more  than  seven  hundred  houses 
in  a  single  town,  neatly  laid  out  with  highways  and  byways,  and  fortified  with  breast- work,  stock- 
ade, and  block-houses.  It  had,  too,  its  place'of  worship,  "  Tabernacle  of  the  Congregation,"  and 
various  large  workshops,  and  mills  and  factories,  provided  with  water-power. 


430  HISTORICAL   AND    INSCRIPTIVE 

"  The  same  season  also,  these  were  joined  by  a  part  of  the  battalion  an 
other  members  of  the  Church,  who  came  eastward  from  California  and  the 
Sandwich  Islands.     Together,  they  fortified  themselves  strongly  with  sun- 
brick  wall  and  block-houses,  and  living  safely  through  the  winter,  were  able 
to  tend  crops  that  yielded  ample  provision  for  the  ensuing  year. 

"In  1848,  nearly  all  the  remaining  members  of  the  Church  left  the  Mis- 
souri country  in  a  succession  of  powerful  bands,  invigorated  and  enriched  by 
their  abundant  harvests  there;  and  that  year  saw  fully  established  their  Com- 
monwealth of  the  New  Covenant,  the  future  State  of  DESERET." 

UTAH  was  formed  into  a  territory  of  the  United  States  in  1850.  Its  ex- 
treme length,  east  and  west,  is  seven  hundred  and  eighty,  and  breadth  north 
and  south,  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  it  contains  about  240,000  square 
miles. 

The  main  geographical  characteristic  of  Utah  is,  that  anomalous  feature  in 
our  continent,  which  is  more  Asiatic  than  American  in  its  character,  known 
as  the  GREAT  BASIN.  It  is  about  five  hundred  miles  long,  east  and  west,  by 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  in  breadth,  north  and  south,  and  occupies  the 
greater  part  of  the  central  and  western  portions  of  the  territory.  It  is  ele- 
vated near  5000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  is  shut  in  all  around  by 
mountains  with  its  own  system  of  lakes  and  rivers ;  and  what  is  a  striking 
feature,  none  of  which  have  any  connection  with  the  ocean.  The  general 
character  of  the  basin  is  that  of  a  desert.  It  has  never  been  fully  explored, 
but  so  far  as  it  has  been,  a  portion  of  it  is  found  to  consist  of  arid  and  sterile 
plains,  another  of  undulating  table-lands,  and  a  third  of  elevated  mountains, 
a  few  of  whose  summits  are  capped  with  perpetual  snow.  Those  range  nearly 
north  and  south,  and  rise  abruptly  from  a  narrow  base,  to  a  height  of  from 
2000  to  5000  feet.  Between  these  ranges  of  mountains  are  the  arid  plains, 
which  deserve  and  receive  the  name  of  desert.  From  the  snow  on  their 
summits  and  the  showers  of  summer  originate  small  streams  of  water  from 
five  to  fifty  feet  wide,  which  eventually  lose  themselves,  some  in  lakes,  some 
in  the  alluvial  soil  at  their  base,  and  some  in  dry  plains.  Among  the  most 
noted  of  these  streams,  is  Humboldt's  or  Mary's  River,  well  remembered  by 
every  California  emigrant,  down  which  he  pursues  his  course  for  three  hun- 
dred miles,  until  it  loses  itself  in  the  ground,  at  a  place  called  St.  Mary's  Sink, 
where  its  waters  are  of  a  poisonous  character. 

The  Great  Salt  Lake  and  the  Utah  Lake  are  in  this  basin,  toward  its  east- 
ern rim,  and  constitute  its  most  interesting  feature — one  a  saturated  solution 
of  common  salt — the  other  fresh — the  Utah  about  one  hundred  feet  above  the 
Salt  Lake,  which  is  itself  4200  above  the  level  of  the  sea:  they  are  connect- 
ed by  Utah  River — or,  as  the  Mormons  call  it,  the  Jordan — which  is  forty- 
eight  miles  in  length.  These  lakes  drain  an  area  of  from  10  to  12,000 
square  miles. 

The  Utah  is  about  thirty-five  miles  long,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  'numer- 
ous and  bold  streams  which  it  receives,  coming  down  from  the  mountains  on 
the  southeast,  all  fresh  water,  although  a  large  formation  of  rock-salt,  imbed- 
ded in  red  clay,  is  found  within  the  area  on  the  southeast,  which  it  drains. 
The  lake  and  its  affluents  afford  large  trout  and  other  fish  in  great  numbers, 
which  constitute  the  food  of  the  Utah  Indians  during  the  fishing  season.  The 
Great  Salt  Lake  has  a  very  irregular  outline,  greatly  extended  at  time  of 
melting  snows.  It  is  about  seventy  miles  in  length;  both  lakes  ranging 
north  and  south,  in  conformity  to  the  range  of  the  mountains,  and  is  remark- 
able for  its  predominance  of  salt.  The  whole  lake  waters  seem  thoroughly 
saturated  with  it,  and  every  evaporation  of  the  water  leaves  salt  behind.  The 
rocky  shores  of  the  islands  are  whitened  by  the  spray,  which  leaves  salt  on 


SKETCH   OF  UTAH.  431 

everything  it  touches,  and  a  covering  like  ice  forms  over  the  water  which  the 
waves  throw  among  the  rocks.  The  shores  of  the  lake,  in  the  dry  season, 
when  the  waters  recede,  and  especially  on  the  south  side,  are  whitened  with 
incrustations  of  fine  white  salt;  the  shallow  arms  of  the  lake,  at  the  same 
time,  under  a  slight  covering  of  briny  water,  present  beds  of  salt  for  miles, 
resembling  softened  ice,  into  which  the  horses'  feet  sink  to  the  fetlock. 
Plants  and  bushes,  blown  by  the  wind  upon  these  fields,  are  entirely  incrusted 
with  crystallized  salt,  more  than  an  inch  in  thickness.  Upon  this  lake  of 
salt  the  fresh  water  received,  though  great  in  quantity,  has  no  perceptible 
effect.  No  fish  or  animal  life  of  any  kind  is  found  in  it. 

The  Rio  Colorado,  with  its  branches,  is  about  the  only  stream  of  note  in 
Utah  which  is  not  within  the  Great  Basin.  The  only  valleys  supposed  to 
be  inhabitable  in  the  vast  country  between  the  eastern  rim  of  the  Great 
Basin  and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  are  the  valleys  of  the  Uintah  and  Green 
River,  branches  of  the  Colorado,  and  whether  even  these  are  so,  is  extremely 
problematical.  The  country  at  the  sources  of  this  great  river  is  incapable  of 
supporting  any  population  whatever. 

The  climate  of  Utah  is  milder  and  drier,  in  general,  than  it  is  in  the  same 
parallel  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  The  temperature  in  the  Salt  Lake  valley  in 
the  winter,  is  very  uniform,  and  the  thermometer  rarely  descends  to  zero. 
There  is  but  little  rain  in  Utah,  except  on  the  mountains,  from  the  1st  of 
May  until  the  1st  of  October ;  hence  agriculture  can  only  be  carried  on  by 
irrigation. 

In  every  portion  of  the  territory  where  it  has  been  attempted,  artificial  ir- 
rigation has  been  found  to  be  indispensable ;  and  it  is  confidently  believed  that 
no  part  of  it,  however  fertile,  will  mature  crops  without  it,  except,  perhaps, 
on  some  small  patches  on  low  bottoms.  But  limited  portions,  therefore,  of 
even  the  most  fertile  and  warmest  valleys  can  ever  be  made  available  for 
agricultural  purposes,  and  only  such  as  are  adjacent  to  streams  and  are  well 
located  for  irrigation.  Small  valleys  surrounded  by  high  mountains  are  the 
most  abundantly  supplied  with  water,  the  streams  being  fed  by  melting  snows 
and  summer  showers. 

The  greater  part  of  Utah  is  sterile  and  totally  unfit  for  agriculture,  and  is 
uninhabited  and  uninhabitable,  except  by  a  few  trappers  and  some  roaming 
bands  of  Indians,  who  subsist  chiefly  upon  game,  fish,  reptiles,  and  mountain 
crickets.  The  general  sterility  of  the  country  is  mainly  owing  to  the  want 
of  rain  during  the  summer  months,  and  partly  from  its  being  elevated  several 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

The  whole  country  is  almost  entirely  destitute  of  timber.  The  little  which 
there  is,  may  be  found  on  the  side  of  the  high,  rocky  mountains,  and  in  the 
deep  mountain  gorges,  whence  issue  the  streams.  On  the  table-lands,  the 
gently  undulating  plains  and  the  isolated  hills,  there  is  none.  There  are, 
however,  small  groves  of  cotton-wood  and  box-alder  on  the  bottoms  of  some 
of  the  principal  streams. 

A  species  of  artemisia,  generally  known  by  the  name  of  wild  sage,  abounds 
in  most  parts  of  the  country,  where  vegetation  of  any  kind  exists,  but  particu- 
larly where  there  is  not  warmth  and  moisture  sufficient  to  produce  grass. 

The  white  population  of  Utah  in  1850,  was  estimated  at  15,000,  who 
were  principally  located  in  Salt  Lake,  Utah,  and  Sanpeech  valleys.  The 
last  named,  the  southernmost  settlement  of  the  Mormons,  is  about  two  hun- 
dred miles  south  of  Salt  Lake  City.  It  was  made  at  the  request  of  Walker, 
a  distinguished  chief  of  the  Utah  tribe,  who  wished  the  Mormons  to  settle 
in  his  valley,  in  order  to  learn  his  people  the  arts  of  civilized  lite,  and  to  edu- 
cate and  bring  up  their  children  as  were  those  of  the  whites.  The  inhabit- 


432  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

able  portions  of  the  Great  Basin,  according  to  Mormon  authority,  are  sup- 
posed to  be  capable  of  supporting  a  population  of  about  200,000. 

The  Great  Salt  Lake  Valley  is  the  largest  known  in  the  Great  Basin, 
beinff  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  long,  and  from  twenty  to  forty 
broad,  but  the  Salt  Lake  occupies  much  of  its  northern  portion.  The  surface 
of  its  center  is  level,  ascending  gently  on  either  side  toward  the  mountains. 
This  valley  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  healthiest  portions  of  the  globe ;  the 
air  is  very  pure.  Its  altitude  is  4300  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea;  and 
some  of  the  mountains  on  the  east  of  the  valley  are  more  than  a  mile  and 
a  quarter  high,  and  are  covered  with  perpetual  snow;  while  in  the  valley 
the  thermometer  frequently  rises  above  one  hundred  degrees.  Near  the  city, 
are  two  saline  mineral  springs,  respectively  of  the  temperature  of  108  and 
125  degrees.  The  character  of  the  soil  of  each  of  the  valleys  that  are  inha- 
bitable, is  as  follows: — One  portion  of  them  is  a  vegetable  loam,  another  a 
marly  loam,  and  a  third,  a  gravelly  stratum,  containing  some  silicia.  The 
other  valleys  bear  a  general  resemblance  to  that  named,  except  being  smaller. 

By  means  of  irrigation  the  Mormon  valleys  are  made  exceedingly  produc- 
tive. Wheat,  rye,  barley,  buckwheat,  oats,  and  Indian  corn,  are  their  agri- 
cultural products,  and  all  the  garden  vegetables  peculiar  to  the  middle  and 
western  States  are  produced  in  great  perfection.  Tobacco  and  sweet  potatoes 
can  be  produced  in  limited  quantities.  So  fertile  is  their  soil,  that  an  aver- 
age crop  of  wheat  is  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre.  The  system  of  irrigation  pre- 
vents rust  or  smut  striking  the  crop,  and  renders  it  sure. 

The  territory  of  the  Mormons  is  unequaled  as  a  stock-raising  country, 
and  they  are  to  a  great  extent,  a  pastoral  people.  The  finest  pastures  of 
Lombardy  are  not  more  estimable  than  those  on  the  east  side  of  the  Utah 
Lake  and  Jordan  River.  We  find  here  that  cereal  anomaly,  the  Bunch 
grass.  It  grows  only  on  the  bottoms  of  the  streams,  and  on  the  table-lands  of 
the  warmest  and  most  fertile  valleys.  It  is  of  a  kind  peculiar  to  cold  climates 
and  elevated  countries,  and  is,  we  presume,  the  same  as  the  grama  (see  page 
376)  of  New  Mexico.  In  May,  when  the  other  grasses  start,  this  fine  plant 
dries  upon  its  stalk,  and  becomes  a  light  yellow  straw,  full  of  flavor  and 
nourishment.  It  continues  thus,  through  what  are  the  dry  months  of  the 
climate,  until  January,  and  then  starts  with  a  vigorous  growth,  like  that  of 
our  own  winter  wheat  in  April,  which  keeps  on  until  the  return  of  another 
May.  Whether  as  straw  or  grass,  the  cattle  fatten  on  it  the  year  round.  The 
numerous  little  dells  and  sheltered  spots  that  are  found  in  the  mountains,  are 
excellent  sheep-walks.  Hogs  fatten  on  a  succulent  bulb  or  tuber,  called  the 
Seacoe,  or  Seegose  Root,  which  is  highly  esteemed  as  a  table  vegetable  by 
the  Mormons. 

Salt  Lake  City  is  pleasantly  situated  on  a  gentle  declivity  near  the  base 
of  a  mountain,  about  two  miles  east  of  the  Utah  outlet,  or  the  River  Jordan, 
and  about  twenty-two  miles  southeast  of  the  Salt  Lake.  It  is  nearly  on  the 
same  latitude  with  New  York  City,  and  is,  by  air  lines,  distant  in  miles  from 
New  York,  two  thousand  one  hundred  miles;  from  St.  Louis,  one  thousand 
two  hundred;  from  San  Francisco,  five  hundred  and  fifty;  and  from  Oregon 
City  and  Santo  Fe,  each  six  hundred.  During  five  months  of  the  year,  it  is 
shut  out  from  all  communication  with  the  north,  east  or  west,  by  mountains 
rendered  impassable  from  snow.  Through  the  town  runs  a  beautiful  brook 
of  cool,  limpid  water,  called  City  Creek.  The  city  is  laid  out  regularly,  on 
an  extensive  scale ;  the  streets  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles,  and  being 
each  eight  rods  wide.  Each  lot  contains  an  acre  and  a  quarter  of  ground, 
and  each  block  or  square,  eight  lots.  Within  the  city  are  four  public  squares. 
The  city  and  all  the  farming  lands  are  irrigated  by  streams  of  beautiful  water, 


SKETCH  OF  UTAH.  433 

which  flow  from  the  adjacent  mountains.  These  streams  have  been,  with 
great  labor  and  perseverance,  led  in  every  direction.  In  the  city  they  flow 
on  each  side  of  the  different  streets,  and  their  waters  are  let  upon  the  inhabit- 
ants' gardens  at  regular  periods,  so  likewise  upon  the  extensive  fields  of  grain 
lying  to  the  south. 

The  greater  part  of  the  houses  which  had  been  built  up  to  the  close  of 
1850,  were  regarded  as  merely  temporary ;  most  of  them  were  small,  but  com- 
modious, being,  in  general,  constructed  of  adobe  or  sun-dried  bricks.  Among 
the  public  buildings  are,  a  house  for  public  worship,  a  council-house,  a  bath- 
house at  the  Warm  Spring;  and  it  is  in  contemplation  to  erect  another  temple 
more  magnificent  than  that  they  formerly  had  at  Nauvoo.  On  the  temple 
square  they  intend  to  have  a  garden  that  will  cost,  at  least,  $100,000  at  the 
commencement.  Their  missionaries  have  already  made  arrangements  in  the 
Eastern  States,  in  Great  Britain,  France,  Italy,  Denmark,  the  German  States, 
and  in  the  islands  of  the  sea,  to  gather  the  choicest  seeds  and  fruits,  and 
everything  that  can  beautify  and  adorn  it. 

Public  free-schools  are  established  in  the  different  wards  into  which  the 
city  is  divided,  in  which  the  ordinary  branches  are  taught,  and  in  some  the 
Latin,  Greek,  French  and  German  languages,  and  that  of  the  Society  Islands. 
East  of  the  city,  a  mile  square  is  laid  off  for  a  State  University,  and  the 
Mormons  have  appropriated  for  this  object,  $5000  a  year  for  twenty  years, 
to  be  paid  out  of  the  public  treasury. 

The  pioneer  party  of  the  Mormons  left  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  early  in  April 
1847.  On  the  23d  of  July,  the  first  camp  moved  into  the  city.  In  the  after- 
noon of  the  same  day,  they  had  three  plows  and  one  harrow  at  work,  and 
commenced  building  the  first  dam  for  irrigation.  The  next  day  they  planted 
five  acres  of  potatoes,  and,  four  days  later,  proceeded  to  lay  off  the  city  ;  and 
so  rapid  had  been  their  progress  that  in  1850,  three  years  after,  it  contained 
about  eleven  thousand  inhabitants,  who  were  mostly  engaged  in  agriculture. 

The  city  of  Provo  is  on  Provo  River,  on  the  east  side  of  Utah  Lake,  and 
about  fifty  miles  south  of  Salt  Lake  city.  At  the  settlement  in  Sanpeech 
valley,  are  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  families.  In  that  valley  are,  it  is  said, 
many  ruins  covered  with  hieroglyphics.  One  place  in  particular,  is  called  by 
the  Indians,  "  God's  Temple."  Here  also,  remains  of  ancient  'pottery,  both 
glased  and  unglazed,  are  found  in  great  abundance,  and  large  quantities  of 
bituminous  coal.  ^tocroft  I 

The  number  of  acres  under  cultivation  in  Utah  is  very  great,  considering 
the  short  time  which  has  elapsed  since  its  first  settlement.  One  field,  in 
1850,  alone  contained  over  six  thousand  acres,  and  was  girted  around  by  a 
fence  fifteen  miles  long.  At  that  time,  there  was  a  printing  press,  four  grist 
and  six  saw-mills  in  operation.  A  general  impression  prevails  that  property 
is  held  in  common  among  the  inhabitants.  This  is  an  error;  every  Mormon 
holds  his  property  in  his  own  right.  One-tenth  of  the  produce  of  the  land, 
or  the  accumulation  of  each  individual,  as  well  as  one-tenth  of  his  time,  is 
contributed  to  the  support  of  the  church,  and  for  objects  of  public  welfare. 

These  settlements  being  on  the  highway  to  California,  thousands  of  emi- 
grants from  the  United  States  find  therein  a  place  to  rest  their  wearied  limbs, 
as  well  as  to  recruit  their  animals  and  stores  of  provisions,  previous  to  enter- 
ing the  deserts  which  they  have  to  cross  before  reaching  the  goal  of  their 
desires.  Between  two  and  three  thousand  California  emigrants,  who  had  ar- 
rived late  in  the  season  of  1849,  remained  all  winter  among  the  Mormons, 
fearing  to  undertake  the  toilsome  journey  which  still  remained.  For  these, 
the  rich  grain  lands  of  the  Mormons  had  produced  abundance  of  supplies. 
Most  of  them  had  been  reduced  to  great  straits,  and  turned  aside  to  seek 
54 


434  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

the  Salt  Lake  colony,  in  pitiable  plights  of  fatigue  and  destitution.  Several 
hundreds  of  them  received  gratuitous  assistance  from  the  Mormons,  who 
seemed  anxious  to  exert  themselves  to  the  utmost  in  ministering  to  their  wants. 
They  had  been  overtaken  by  the  cholera  in  their  journey  over  the  plains,  and 
were  in  a  suffering  condition.  The  order,  the  industry,  and  the  systematized 
manner  in  which  the  community  proceed,  must  render  their  progress  certain. 
They  are  to  be  the  chief  workers  and  contractors  upon  "  Whitney's  Railroad," 
or  whatever  scheme  is  to  unite  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific.  They  have  already 
raised  a  "  Perpetual  Fund"  for  "the  final  fulfillment  of  the  covenant  made  by 
the  saints  in  the  Temple  at  Nauvoo,"  which  "  is  not  to  cease  until  all  the  poor 
are  brought  to  the  valley."  All  the  poor  still  lingering  behind,  will  be 
brought  there  :  so  at  an  early  period  will  the  fifty  thousand  communicants, 
the  Church  already  numbers  in  Great  Britain,  with  all  the  other  "  increase 
among  the  Gentiles."  Their  place  of  rendezvous  is  upon  what  were  formerly 
the  Pottawatamie  lands,  on  the  frontiers  of  Iowa. 


THE  GREAT  SALT  DESERT  OF  UTAH. 

THE  Great  Salt  Desert  is  situated  just  beyond  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  on  one 
of  the  routes  of  emigration  to  California.  Its  exact  extent  is  unknown,  but 
it  covers  a  surface  of  several  thousand  square  miles.  A  vivid  sketch  of  a 
journey  across  this  dreary  waste  is  given  by  a  gentleman  who  crossed  it  on 
the  3d  of  August,  1846,  on  his  way  to  California,  from  which  we  extract  a 
description  of  some  of  the  wonderful  phenomena  which  he  witnessed. 

The  mirage,  a  beautiful  phenomenon,  here  displayed  its  wonderful  illu- 
sions, in  a  perfection  and  with  a  magnificence  surpassing  any  presentation  of 
the  kind  I  h  id  previously  seen.  Lakes,  dotted  with  islands,  and  bordered  by 
groves  of  r  ently  waving  timber,  whose  tranquil  and  limpid  waves  reflected 
their  slopi'  <j  banks  and  the  shady  islands  in  their  bosoms,  lay  spread  out  be- 
fore us,  invting  us  by  their  illusory  temptations  to  stray  from  our  path  and 
enjoy  thei,  cooling  shades  and  refreshing  waters.  These,  fading  away  as  we 
advanced,  beautiful  villas  adorned  with  edifices,  decorated  with  all  the  orna- 
ments of  suburban  architecture,  and  surrounded  by  gardens,  shaded  walks, 
parks  and  stately  avenues,  would  succeed  them,  renewing  the  alluring  tempta- 
tions to  repose,  by  enticing  the  vision  with  more  than  Calypsan  enjoyments 
or  Elysian  pleasures.  These,  also,  melting  from  our  view,  as  those  before, 
.would  give  place  to  a  vast  city  with  countless  columned  edifices  of  marble 
whiteness,  and  studded  with  domes,  spires  and  turreted  towers,  rising  upon 
the  horizon  of  the  plain,  astonishing  us  with  its  stupendous  grandeur  and 
sublime  magnificence.  But  it  is  in  vain  to  attempt  a  description  of  these 
singular  and  extraordinary  phenomena.  Neither  prose  nor  poetry,  nor  the 
pencil  of  the  artist,  can  adequately  portray  their  beauties.  The  whole  dis- 
tant view  around,  at  this  point,  seemed  like  the  creations  of  a  sublime  and 
gorgeous  dream,  or  the  effect  of  enchantment. 

As  we  moved  onward,  a  member  of  our  party  in  the  rear  called  our  atten- 
tion to  a  gigantic  moving  object  on  our  left,  at  an  apparent  distance  of  six  or 
eight  miles.  It  is  very  difficult  to  determine  distances  accurately  on  these 
plains.  Your  estimate  is  based  upon  the  probable  dimensions  of  an  object, 
and  unless  you  know  what  the  object  is,  and  its  probable  size,  you  are  liable 
to  great  deception.  The  atmosphere  frequently  seems  to  act  as  a  magnifier  ; 
so  much  so  that  I  have  often  seen  a  raven,  perched  upon  a  low  shrub  or  an 
undulation  of  the  plain,  answering  to  the  outlines  of  a  man  on  horseback. 
But  this  object  was  so  enormously  large,  considering  its  apparent  distance, 


SKETCH  OF  UTAH.  435 

and  its  movement  forward  parallel  with  ours  so  distinct,  that  it  greatly  excited 
our  wonder  and  curiosity. 

About  two  o'clock,  P.  M.,  we  discovered  through  the  smoky  vapor,  the 
dim  outlines  of  the  mountains  before  us,  at  the  foot  of  which  was  to  termi- 
nate our  day's  march,  if  we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  reach  it.  But  still  WP 
were  a  long  and  weary  distance  from  it,  and  from  the  "water  and  grass" 
which  we  expected  to  find  there.  A  cloud  rose  soon  afterward  from  the  south, 
accompanied  by  several  distant  peals  of  thunder,  and  a  furious  wind  mak- 
ing across  the  plain,  and  filling  the  whole  atmosphere  around  us  with  fine 
particles  of  salt,  drifted  it  in  heaps  like  the  newly  fallen  snow.  Our 
eyes  became  nearly  blinded  and  our  throats  choaked  with  the  saline  matter, 
and  the  very  air  we  breathed  tasted  of  salt. 

During  the  subsidence  of  this  tempest,  there  appeared  upon  the  plain  one 
of  the  most  extraordinary  phenomena,  I  dare  to  assert,  ever  witnessed.  Dia- 
gonally in  point,  to  the  right — our  course  being  west — there  appeared  the 
figures  of  a  number  of  men  and  horses,  some  fifteen  or  twenty.  Some  of  these 
figures  were  mounted  and  others  dismounted;  and  appeared  to  be  marching  on 
foot.  Their  faces  and  the  heads  of  their  horses  were  turned  toward  us,  and 
at  first  they  appeared  as  if  they  were  rushing  down  upon  Us.  Their  apparent 
distance,  judging  from  the  horizon,  was  from  three  to  five  miles.  But  their 
size  was  not  correspondent,  for  they  seemed  nearly  as  large  as  our  own  bodies, 
and  consequently  were  of  gigantic  stature.  At  the  first  view  I  supposed  them 
to  be  a  small  party  of  Indians — probably  the  Utahs — marching  from  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  plain.  But  this  seemed  to  me  scarcely  probable,  as  no 
hunting  or  war-party  would  be  likely  to  take  this  route.  I  called  to  some  of 
our  party  nearest  me  to  hasten  forward,  as  there  were  men  in  front  coming  to- 
ward us.  Very  soon  the  fifteen  or  twenty  figures  were  multiplied  into  three 
or  four  hundred,  and  appeared  to  be  marching  forward  with  the  greatest  ac- 
tion and  speed.  I  then  conjectured  that  they  might  be  Capt.  Fremont  and 
his  party  with  others  from  California,  returning  to  the  United  States  by  this 
route,  although  they  seemed  to  be  too  numerous  even  for  this.  I  spoke  to 
the  one  who  was  nearest  to  me,  and  asked  him  if  he  noticed  the  figures  of 
men  and  horses  in  front  ?  He  answered  that  he  did,  and  that  he  had  observed 
the  same  appearances  several  times  previously,  but  that  they  had  disappeared, 
and  he  believed  them  to  be  optical  illusions,  similar  to  the  mirage.  It  was 
then,  for  the  first  time,  so  perfect  was  the  deception,  that  I  conjectured  the 
probable  fact  that  these  figures  were  the  reflection  of  our  own  images  by  the 
atmosphere,  filled  as  it  was  by  fine  particles  of  crystallized  matter,  or  by  the 
distant  horizon  covered  by  the  same  substance.  This  induced  a  more  minute 
observation  of  the  phenomenon,  in  order  to  detect  the  deception,  if  such  it 
were.  I  noticed  a  single  figure,  apparently  in  front,  in  advance  of  all  others, 
and  was  struck  with  its  likeness  to  myself.  Its  motions,  too,  I  thought,  were 
the  same  as  mine.  To  test  the  hypothesis  above  suggested,  I  wheeled  sud- 
denly around,  at  the  same  time  stretching  my  arms  out  their  full  length,  and 
turned  my  face  side  way,  to  notice  the  movements  of  this  figure.  It  went 
through  precisely  the  same  motions.  I  then  marched  deliberately,  and  with 
long  strides,  several  paces ;  the  figure  did  the  same.  To  test  it  more  thorough- 
ly, I  repeated  the  experiment,  and  with  the  same  result.  The  fact  was  then 
clear.  But  it  was  more  verified  still,  for  the  whole  array  of  this  numerous 
shadowy  host,  in  the  course  of  an  hour,  melted  entirely  away,  and  was  seen 
no  mbre.  The  phenomenon,  however,  explained  and  gave  the  history  of  the 
gigantic  specters  which  appeared  and  disappeared  so  mysteriously  at  an  early 
hour  of  the  day.  The  figures  were  our  own  shadows,  produced  and  re-pro- 
duced by  the  mirror-like  composition  impregnating  the  atmosphere  and  cover- 


436  HISTORICAL   AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

ing  the  plain.  I  cannot  here  more  particularly  explain  or  refer  to  the  sub- 
ject. But  this  phantom  population,  springing  out  of  the  ground,  as  it  were, 
and  arraying  itself  before  us  as  we  traversed  this  dreary  and  heaven-condemned 
waste,  although  we  were  entirely  convinced  of  the  cause  of  the  apparition, 
excited  those  supernatural  emotions  so  natural  to  all  mankind. 


MINNESOTA. 

MINNESOTA  derives  its  name  from  the  Minnesota  or  St.  Peter's  River. 
The  water  of  this  river  is  clear,  but  has  a  milky  hue,  owing  to  the  peculiar 
colored  clay  of  its  bed.  Mini,  in  the  Dacotah  language,  means  "  water," 
and  that  of  sotah,  signifies  this  peculiarity  of  its  color,  but  its  precise  shade 
of  meaning  cannot  be  translated  in  a  single  word ;  it  is,  however,  sometimes 
rendered  muddy  or  turbid. 

In  1679,  Father  Hennepin  and  two  others,  when  taken  prisoner  in  La 
Salle's  expedition  (see  pages  34  and  61),  accompanied  the  Indians  to  their 
villages,  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  above  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  Be- 
fore the  termination  of  that  century,  other  Frenchmen  also  visited  Minnesota. 
In  1695,  M.  Le  Seur  discovered,  as  he  supposed,  a  copper  mine  on  Blue 
Earth  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Minnesota.  He  returned  in  1700,  built  a  fort, 
remained  during  the  winter,  and  in  the  spring  descended  the  Mississippi  with 
one  hundred  tons  of  blue  and  green  earth  destined  for  France ;  but  it  is  not 
known  that  he  ever  returned.  Within  the  succeeding  sixty  years  it  was  fre- 
quently visited  by  the  French  fur-traders.  After  them  came  the  British  fur- 
traders.  The  British  North  West  Fur  Company  occupied  trading-posts  at 
Sandy  Lake,  Leech  Lake,  and  other  central  points  within  the  limits  of  Min- 
nesota. '  That  at  Sandy  Lake  was  built  in  1794,  the  year  of  Wayne's  vic- 
tory. It  was  a  large  stockade,  and  contained  two  rows  of  buildings  used  as 
dwellings,  provision-store,  and  workshops.  Fort  William,  on  the  north  side 
of  Lake  Superior,  eventually  became  their  principal  depot. 

The  first  actual  settlement  for  permanent  objects  was  made  in  1811,  by 
Lord  Selkirk  on  Red  River,  a  stream  which,  rising  in  Minnesota,  runs  north 
into  Lake  Winnipeg.  (See  page  156.)  The  village  he  established,  Pem- 
bina,  is  still  flourishing.  In  1805,  Lieut.  Pike  was  sent  by  government  to 
explore  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi.  Winter  overtaking  him  ere  he  reached 
Crow  Wing,  he  was  unable  to  accomplish  this  object,  and  returned  in  the 
spring,  after  having  first  purchased  the  site  of  Fort  Snelling,  where  in  1819, 
barracks  were  erected  and  a  garrison  stationed  by  the  U.  S.,  which  was  the 
first  American  establishment  in  the  country.  Further  explorations  were 
made  in  1820,  by  Gov.  Cass;  in  1823,  by  Major  Long,  and  in  1832,  by 
Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  the  last  of  whom  discovered  the  source  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. (See  page  298.) 

From  1836  to  1839,  M.  Nicollet  (under  whom  was  John  C.  Fremont),  was 
engaged  in  making  geographical  surveys  in  this  region,  and  ten  years  later,  a 
scientific  corps  under  Dr.  Dale  Owen,  by  their  explorations,  revealed  much  ad- 
ditional information  respecting  the  topography  and  geology  of  this  northern 
country.  All  these  surveys  and  explorations  were  by  order  of  government. 

Minnesota,  from  its  earliest  discovery,  has  been  the  residence  of  two  power- 
ful tribes,  the  Chippewas  or  Ojibbeways,  and  the  Sioux — pronounced  Sooz — 
or  Dacotahs.  The  word  Chippewa  is  a  corruption  of  the  term  Ojibbeway, 
and  that  of  Dacotah  signifies  allied  tribes.  The  Winnebago  from  Iowa,  and 
the  Menonomies  from  Wisconsin  have  recently  been  removed  to  Minnesota 
They  are  both  small  tribes  compared  to  the  above. 


SKETCH   OF   MINNESOTA.  437 

The  Sioux  claim  a  country  equal  in  extent  to  some  of  the  most  powerful 
empires  of  Europe,  including  the  greater  part  of  the  country  between  the  Upper 
Mississippi  and  the  Missouri.  The  country  from  Rum  River  to  the  River 
De  Corbeau  has  been  alike  claimed  by  them  and  the  Chippewas,  and  has 
been  the  source  of  many  bloody  encounters  within  the  last  two  hundred  years. 
The  Sioux  have  destroyed  immense  numbers  of  their  race,  and  are  one  of 
the  most  warlike  tribes  of  North  America.  They  are  divided  into  six  bands, 
comprising  in  all,  28,000  souls.  Beside  these,  a  revolted  band  of  the  Sioux 
8000  strong,  called  Osinipoilles,  reside  just  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
upon  Saskatchawan  River  of  British  America. 

The  Sioux  subsist  upon  buffalo  meat  and  the  wild  fruits  of  their  forests. 
The  former  is  called  pemmican,  and  is  prepared  in  winter  for  traveling  use  in 
the  following  manner.  The  lean  parts  of  the  buffalo  are  cut  into  thin  slices, 
dried  over  a  slow  fire  in  the  sun,  or  by  exposing  it  to  frost, — pounded  fine, 
and  then  with  a  portion  of  berries,  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  fat  from 
the  hump  and  brisket,  or  with  marrow  in  a  boiling  state  and  sowed  up  tightly 
in  sacks  of  green  hide,  or  packed  closely  in  baskets  of  wicker-work.  This 
"pemmicau"  will  keep  for  several  years. 

They  also  use  much  of  the  wild  rice,  which  grows  in  great  abundance  in 
the  lakes  and  head  streams  in  the  Upper  Mississippi  country.  The  rivers 
and  lakes  of  the  Sioux  and  Chippewa  country  are  said  to  produce  annually 
several  millions  of  bushels  of  it.  It  is  said  to  be  equally  as  nutritious  and 
palatable  as  the  Carolina  rice.  It  grows  in  water  from  four  to  seven  feet 
deep,  which  nas  a  muddy  bottom.  The  plant  rises  from  four  to  eight  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  water,  about  the  size  of  the  red  cane  of  Tennessee,  full  of 
joints  and  of  the  color  and  texture  of  bulrushes.  The  stalks  above  the 
water,  and  the  branches  which  bear  the  grain  resemble  oats.  To  these 
strange  grain  fields,  wild  ducks  and  geese  resort  for  food  in  the  summer; 
and  to  prevent  it  being  devoured  by  them,  the  Indians  tie  it,  when  in  the 
milky  state,  just  below  the  head,  into  large  bunches.  This  arrangement  pre- 
vents these  birds  from  pressing  the  heads  down  when  within  their  reach. 
When  ripe,  the  Indians  pass  among  it  with  canoes  lined  with  blankets,  into 
which  they  bend  the  stalks  and  whip  off  the  grain  with  sticks;  and  so  abun- 
dant is  it  that  an  expert  squaw  will  soon  fill  a  canoe.  After  being  gathered 
it  is  dried  and  put  into  skins  or  baskets  for  use.  They  boil  or  parch  it,  and 
cut  it  in  the  winter  season  with  their  pemmican.  Beside  the  pemmican  and 
wild  rice,  the  country  abounds  in  sugar-maple,  from  which  the  Indians  make 
immense  quantities  of  sugar.  Their  country  abounds  with  fine  groves,  inter- 
spersed with  open  plains  clothed  with  rich  wild  grasses — their  lakes  and 
rivers  of  pure  water  are  well  stored  with  fish,  and  their  soil  with  the  whortle- 
berry, blackberry,  wild  plum,  and  crab-apple;  so  that  this  talented  and  vic- 
torious race  possess  a  very  desirable  and  beautiful  territory. 

The  Chippewas  inhabit  the  head-waters  of  the  Mississippi,  Ottertail  and 
Leach,  De  Corbeau  and  Red  Rivers,. and  Winnipeg  Lake.  They  are  a  very 
powerful  tribe,  almost  equaling  the  Sioux  in  numbers:  they  speak  a  copious 
language,  and  are  of  low  stature  and  coarse  features.  The  women  have  an 
awkward  side-at-a-time  gait ;  which  proceeds  from  their  being  accustomed, 
nine  months  in  the  year,  to  wear  snow-shoes,  and  drag  sledges  of  a  weight 
from  two  hundred  to  four  hundred  pounds.  No  people  are  more  attentive  to 
comfort  in  dress  than  the  Chippewas.  It  is  composed  of  deer  and  fawn- 
skins,  dressed  with  the  hair  on  for  the  winter,  and  without  the  hair  for 
summer  wear. 

They  are  superstitious  in  the  extreme.  Almost  every  action  of  their  lives 
is  influenced  by  some  whimsical  notion.  They  believe  in  the  existence  of  a 


438  HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE 

good  and  an  evil  spirit  that  rule  in  their  several  departments  over  the  fortunes 
of  men ;  and  in  a  state  of  future  rewards  and  punishments. 

MINNESOTA  was  erected  into  a  territory  of  the  United  States  in  1849. 
The  whole  white  population  in  June  of  that  year,  amounted  to  only  four 
thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty.  Its  average  measurement  north  and 
south,  as  well  as  east  and  west,  is  about  four  hundred  miles,  and  its  area  is 
not  far  from  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  thousand  square  miles. 

Minnesota  has  some  peculiar  natural  features ;  the  most  remarkable  of 
which  is  the  immense  number  of  lakes  of  all  sizes,  which  adorn  its  surface, 
many  of  which  are  of  exquisite  beauty.  Another  peculiarity  is  its  uniformity 
of  surface.  There  are  a  few  elevations  above  the  general  average,  called 
mounds ;  but  with  these  exceptions,  the  surface  is  marked  only  by  ravines 
running  from  the  general  level  down  to  the  beds  of  the  streams.  It  is  a  beau- 
tiful arrangement  of  upland  and  lowland  plains  that  give  it  an  aspect  peculiar 
to  itself:  it  is  neither  a  mountainous,  nor  a  hilly,  nor  a  flat  country ;  but  ex- 
hibiting undulations  of  surface  that  are  not  entitled  to  these  usual  appellations. 
The  French,  who  first  explored  it,  were  so  forcibly  impressed  with  this,  that 
they  employed  new  terms  to  designate  it. 

But  there  is  still  sufficient  variety  in  the  irregularities  of  the  surface,  and 
the  distribution  of  the  water  courses,  woodlands  and  prairies.  Another  most 
prominent  feature  is  the  vegetable  covering  of  the  surface.  These  are  im- 
mense tracts  of  land  entirely  destitute  of  tree  or  shrub,  and  covered  only  with 
a  luxuriant  hue  of  wild  grass ;  and,  from  April  to  October,  adorned  with 
flowers  of  every  hue  and  variety. 

The  Mississippi  has  its  source  in  Itasca  Lake,  a  beautiful  sheet  of  pure 
water,  about  eight  miles  in  extent,  and  elevated  one  thousand  five  hundred 
and  seventy-five  feet  above  the  Mexican  Gulf,  and  distant  from  it  two  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  ninety  miles.  Where  it  issues  from  the  lake,  the 
river  is  sixteen  feet  wide,  and  four  inches  deep,  very  transparent,  with  a  swift 
current.  From  this  point  it  traverses,  by  a  very  circuitous  route,  a  distance 
of  seven  hundred  miles  to  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony,  the  last  three  hundred 
miles  of  which  can  be  rendered  navigable  for  steamboats  of  a  light  draught : 
in  its  course  it  expands  into  several  beautiful  lakes.  For  two  hundred  miles 
north  of  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Croix,  it  meanders  through  a  rich  valley  of 
prairie  and  oak  openings.  The  banks  above  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  are 
from  ten  to  thirty  feet  high.  The  river  runs  over  a  gravelly  bed,  and  is  fed 
by  innumerable  small  rivers  of  clear  and  rapid  water ;  the  soil  is  rich  and 
well  adapted  to  raising  wheat,  corn,  oats  and  potatoes,  the  last  of  which  are 
much  superior  to  those  of  the  middle  States.  Above  the  mouth  of  the  Crow 
Wing,  on  the  Mississippi,  the  pinery  extends  north  for  three  or  four  hundred 
miles,  forming  an  extensive  forest.  The  country  bordering  upon  the  head- 
waters of  this  river,  is  interspersed  with  large  and  beautiful  lakes,  which  teem 
with  eyr-p'lont  fish.  The  white  fish  are  found  in  them,  especially  in  the  large 
lakes,  in  ^rcat  abundance.  Red  Lake  exceeds  one  hundred  miles  in  circum- 
ference ;  Leech  Lake,  more  than  fifty  miles,  and  probably  one-quarter  of 
Minnesota  is  covered  with  a  diversity  of  lakes  of  all  sizes  and  forms,  spark- 
ling with  the  purest  water. 

There  are  two  falls  on  the  Mississippi.  The  upper  is  two  hundred  and 
sixty-one  miles  from  its  source ;  there  it  plunges  over  the  Little  Falls,  or 
Kabikon  rapids,  falling  nine  feet  in  eighty  yards.  St.  Anthony's  Falls  are 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  above  the  northern  boundary  of  Illinois. 
They  were  named  by  Father  Hennepin,  in  honor  of  St.  Anthony,  the  patron 
saint  of  fishes.  The  river  here  is  a  little  over  one-third  of  a  mile  in  width, 
and  falls  perpendicularly  sixteen  and  a  half  feet :  it  is  there  divided  into  two 


SKETCH  OF  MINNESOTA.  439 

channels  by  a  small  islet  called  Cataract  Island.  Above  and  below,  the  river 
is  exceedingly  rapid.  About  fifty  miles  below  the  falls,  is  Lake  Pepin,  called 
by  Father  Hennepin  "The  Lake  of  Tears,"  a  beautiful  expansion  of  the 
river,  some  twenty-five  miles  long,  and  from  three  to  five  miles  wide.  On  the 
east  side  of  this  lake  is  a  bold  rock,  over  four  hundred  feet  in  height,  called 
Lover's  Leap.* 

The  Missouri  bounds  Minnesota  on  the  west  and  southwest.  The  Minne- 
sota or  St.  Peter's  River  rises  in  a  region  of  lakes,  and  flowing  through  a 
beautiful  and  fertile  valley,  after  a  course  of  four  hundred  and  seventeen  miles, 
enters  the  Mississippi  eight  miles  below  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  ;  it  is  navi- 
gable, at  times,  one  hundred  and  sixteen  miles  from  its  mouth  for  steamers. 
The  James  River  flows  through  a  broad  and  fertile  valley,  and  enters  the 
Missouri.  The  Sioux  enters  the  same  stream,  after  a  course  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  through  an  extensive  and  fertile  valley.  The  St.  Croix  and 
Crow  Wing  are  also  important  streams.  The  Red  River  of  the  North,  rises 
in  the  central  part  of  Minnesota,  drains  a  large  extent  of  territory,  and,  flow- 
ing north,  enters  Winnipeg  Lake,  and  thence  into  Hudson's  Bay.  Its  valley 
is  exceedingly  productive,  mostly  rich  prairie,  skirted  with  fine  groves  of 
timber.  The  principal  settlements  in  this  valley,  are  mostly  north  of  the 
line  in  the  British  territory.  In  the  northern  part  of  Minnesota,  canoe  navi- 
gation, in  almost  every  direction,  with  short  portages,  is  practicable  by  means 
of  the  numerous  rivers,  whose  sources  are  nearly  interlocked  or  connected 
by  chains  of  lakes. 

Minnesota  has  ever  been  a  favorite  resort  for  the  prosecution  of  the  fur 
trade.  Buffalo,  elk,  deer,  bear,  beaver,  and  other  wild  animals  have  abounded, 
but  are  fast  disappearing  before  the  Indian's  rifle.  Much  of  the  soil  is  very 
fertile,  and  the  climate  is  well  adapted  to  the  culture  of  wheat,  barley,  oats, 
and  particularly  potatoes.  Indian  corn  thrives  as  well  as  in  northern  New 
York,  or  in  New  England.  The  lakes  abound  in  wild  rice,  which  is 
gathered  in  great  quantities  by  the  Indians;  but  which,  owing  to  their 
method  of  drying,  has  a  very  smoky  taste.  They  also  make  immense 
quantities  of  maple-sugar.  Cranberries  grow  in  great  abundance  in  the 
marshes  and  swamps,  and  are  gathered  to  a  considerable  extent  for  expor- 
tation. 

The  natural  productions  of  Minnesota,  its  beautiful  lakes,  its  fine  forests 
of  pine,  and  groves  of  hard  and  soft  wood,  its  copious  springs,  and  abundance 
of  water  power,  render  it  peculiarly  adapted  to  a  rapid  settlement.  The  cli- 
mate is  salubrious  ;  bilious  and  intermittent  fevers  are  comparatively  unknown. 
The  temperature  is  remarkably  uniform,  sudden  changes  from  heat  to  cold 
rarely  occurring ;  the  air  is  exceedingly  pure  and  bracing,  and  the  winters  very 
dry,  so  that  there  is  far  less  suffering  from  cold,  than  in  the  damp  and  change- 
able weather  of  the  winters  farther  south.  Frosts  sufficiently  severe  to  injure 
vegetation,  rarely  occur  before  about  from  the  15th  to  the  20th  of  September, 
ana  sometimes  not  before  October,  that  is  as  far  south  as  St.  Anthony's  Falls. 

*  This  rock  received  its  name  from  a  melancholy  occurrence,  which  took  place  a  half  a  century 
since.  An  Indian  maiden,  of  the  Wapasha  tribe  of  the  Dacotah  nation,  named  Winona,  which  sig- 
nifies "first-born,"  formed  an  ardent  attachment  to  a  young  hunter,  which  was  reciprocated.  Her 
parents  determined,  however,  that  she  should  marry  a  young  warrior  who  had  signalized  himself  in 
battle  against  the  Chippewas.  Rather  than  submit  to  this,  she  ascended  this  rock,  and,  with  a  loud 
voice,  commenced  upbraiding  her  parents  and  friends — who  were  below — for  their  cruel  conduct. 
She  then  commenced  singing  her  dirge,  and,  regardless  of  their  entreaties  and  promises  to  relinquish 
all  compulsory  measures,  she  threw  herself  from  the  precipice,  and  fell  a  lifeless  corpse  at  their  feet. 
It  is  said  that  no  Indian  passes  the  spot  without  involuntarily  casting  his  eyes  toward  the  giddy 
height  to  contemplate  the  place  where  the  unfortunate  girl  fell  a  victim  to  the  cruelty  of  her  releat- 
ess  parents. 


440       HISTORICAL  AND  DESCRIPTIVE  SKETCH  OF  MINNESOTA. 

Steamboat  navigation  usually  continues  between  St.  Pauls  and  St.  Louis  from 
about  the  1st  of  April  until  some  time  in  November. 

The  principal  settlements  are  on  the  Mississippi  and  its  branches,  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  St.  Pauls,  the  capital,  is  three  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  miles  above  Galena,  Illinois,  and  eight  miles  below  the 
Falls  of  St.  Anthony :  it  is  principally  on  a  beautiful  level  plateau,  about 
eight  feet  above  the  Mississippi,  and  has  1200  inhabitants  :  it  is  about  on  the 
same  latitude  with  the  northern  boundary-line  of  New  York.  Stillwater,  at 
the  head  of  Lake  St.  Croix,  is  eighteen  miles  from  St.  Pauls.  Population, 
six  hundred.  St.  Anthony,  at  the  falls,  has  one  thousand  inhabitants. 

There  are  numerous  other  towns  newly  laid  out,  and  the  country  is  rapidly 
improving,  emigration  being  so  great  as  to  furnish  the  farmers  with  an  excel- 
lent market  at  high  prices.  Lumbering  is  a  most  important  business  to  the 
permanent  prosperity  of  the  country.  In  1850,  the  entire  white  population 
of  Minnesota  was  about  eight  thousand. 

The  village  of  Pembina,  the  lowest  or  most  southern  point  of  Selkirk's 
settlement,  on  Red  River,  is  in  an  air-line,  three  hundred  and  sixty  miles  north- 
west of  St.  Pauls,  and  contains  a  population  of  over  six  hundred.  The 
settlement — which  contains  about  seven  thousand  inhabitants — is  flourishing, 
and  agriculture  is  prosecuted  by  the  hardy  settlers  there  with  considerable 
success.  The  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  are  half  natives  and  descendants 
of  fur-traders  and  their  servants,  by  native  women. 

Generally  every  summer,  with  a  team  of  carts  drawn  by  oxen,  and  loaded 
with  pemmican,  furs,  &c.,  they  come  down  to  St.  Pauls  on  a  trading  excursion, 
employing  about  six  weeks  in  making  the  journey  down.  Their  singularly 
constructe^l  carts, — composed  entirely  of  wood,  without  any  tire — their  pecu- 
liar dress,  manners  and  complexion,  render  them  an  object  of  curiosity  to  those 
unfamiliar  with  the  various  shades  of  society  intermediate  between  the  savage 
and  civilized. 

Minnesota  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  emigrants  from  the  more  northern  parts 
of  Europe,  and  of  our  own  country.  Its  natural  beauties,  and  its  pure,  bracing 
air,  will  make  it  a  favorite  resort  for  summer  travel,  as  well  as  the  perma- 
nent abode  of  those  whose  constitutions  are  debilitated  by  the  fevers  01  more 
southern  climes. 


THE   END 


